


I Won’t Say I’m in Love

by sea_fics



Category: Killing Eve (TV 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Canon Typical Violence, Chuck AU, F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Slow Burn, Spies & Secret Agents, eve accidentally downloads the intersect into her brain, featuring disaster eve, maybe some murder
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:22:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 48,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25110829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sea_fics/pseuds/sea_fics
Summary: “Nobody is going to believe that I’m dating you.”“That’s why you need to convince them. This is for your protection.” Villanelle scrunched up her nose. “Do you not want to date me, Eve?”“Fake date,” Eve clarified.“Same thing,” Villanelle said with a flippant shrug.ORA Villaneve Chuck AU featuring fake dating shenanigans, slow burn, angst, saving the world, and a whole lot of denial about one very attractive agent...
Relationships: Eve Polastri/Villanelle | Oksana Astankova
Comments: 163
Kudos: 401





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've wanted to write a Chuck AU for YEARS so I'm so excited to finally have a go at it. I'm a few chapters ahead at this point, so I plan to post every Monday. Enjoy!

"They said they were small, but Christ. How is it so difficult to find a hotel?" The traffic light in front of them flickered from yellow to red. Eve slammed on the brakes. 

Beside her, Kenny pulled his seatbelt tighter across his chest before shrugging noncommittally. "Not sure." 

"Can you give them a call? This is the second time we've driven up Mariner's Way. Is this even the right street?"

"You know I don't like to call."

"Would you rather drive?" Eve asked.

Kenny's jaw clenched, but instead of a retort, he pointed. "There, across the street." 

Eve looked to the left. Across three lanes of traffic, tucked nearly behind another building, laid the Peaceful Gardens Hotel. The light turned green, and Eve gunned it, cutting off the Lexus that was beginning to roll forward. Kenny took in a sharp breath as the Lexus driver tapped his horn a few times. Eve pulled into a turn lane, figured she could beat the few cars coming opposite them, and gunned it again. Her old beater couldn't handle tight turns like this, so she always had a bit too much fun pushing the Nerd Herd vehicle to its limits. 

Kenny cursed under his breath but didn't say anything. They'd come to an agreement months ago when Eve was first promoted to what basically amounted to an Uber driver for Kenny, that if he wanted to complain about her driving, he could drive himself. And considering he hadn't driven in years, Eve was his only option for getting to their off-site jobs. He rode his bike everywhere he could, but most of the jobs required a sizable commute.

It wasn't a bad job for Eve, especially now that she'd worked her way up from minimum wage to a whole ten dollars an hour. She got to spend most of her time playing on her phone as Kenny fixed whatever issue had called them away from the Buy More. She most certainly wasn't promoted for her computer expertise. Even now, six months later, the most she could do was set up a new computer and maybe run a few virus scans if Kenny got the program up for her. Kenny was the pride and joy of the Buy More, which really meant that he deserved so much more than what the Buy More could offer him career-wise.

Eve considered asking him about it once. If he was capable of so much, then why was he stuck at a dead-end job? But she was there too, and Kenny never once asked her what someone her age was doing working at an overpriced electronics store. So it became something they never talked about: why Kenny wasn't off at one of the best computer science programs in the country, and why Eve was driving him around instead of working literally anywhere else.

Only a few cars were in the hotel's parking lot at 11 AM on a Wednesday morning. Eve pulled into the front row and put the car in park. Kenny looked a little wobbly as he jumped out. Eve popped the trunk and followed behind him, already planning which game she was going to play on her phone as Kenny completed the job. Bejeweled? No, she was stuck on level 879 and that would just make her angry to be around and she couldn't get another complaint on her file. YouTube? No, her data was being throttled again since she'd used it all up the first week in the month. But maybe the hotel had WiFi she could borrow. She smiled to herself. _Perfect._

She grabbed her bag from the trunk. She probably wouldn't need to use it, but it did have her phone charger stuffed into the front pocket. She needed it more and more these days since her iPhone 7 couldn't keep up with the latest iOS. She couldn't afford an upgrade though, so she was stuck charging it throughout the day. 

The lobby was compact. A few couches and a dying plant were shoved in one corner, the front desk in the other. Most chain hotels had their own IT department to resolve issues like the job they'd been called on, so it didn't surprise Eve to see how small the area was. A single hotel clerk stood at the front desk. 

He eyed their green polos and khakis. "Welcome to the Peaceful Gardens. I'm assuming you're here to fix our system?" At Kenny's nod of assent, the man asked, "Do you know about how long this will take? We really need everything back up and running soon. It doesn't look busy right now, but in a few hours I'll need to be able to at least check guests in and activate room keys."

Kenny set down his bags. "I'll have to take a look at the problem first, but it sounds like a virus. Should be an easy fix."

"Oh really? That's great news." The clerk let out a laugh. "I kind of assumed with two of you here, this was going to be something difficult."

"She's a new hire," Kenny supplied helpfully. It was a line they'd used plenty of times before; it usually elicited better reactions than the truth.

"I started last week," Eve added, hoping that the hotel clerk didn't look too closely at her well-worn Nerd Herd polo. She couldn't help glancing down and—wait, was that a mustard stain? 

She couldn't even remember the last time she'd put mustard on something. Oh god, was that weird smell coming from her? This whole time she’d been blaming Kenny.

She set her bag next to Kenny’s two bags. “Which way is your restroom?”

The clerk gestured behind him. “Down the hallway, on your right.”

“Thanks.”

As Eve began to walk away, Kenny asked, "Do you want me to take your bag with me?"

Eve pointedly looked around the deserted hotel. "No, I'll just be a minute. You can leave it there." 

The restroom was a single stall. Eve locked the door behind her before falling on it, which elicited a small clatter. She closed her eyes, then raised one arm and sniffed. Yup. Definitely her. 

God, she was a mess. She didn't even know what to fix first—the stain or the smell. Probably the smell. She opened her eyes. There wasn't even a soap dispenser, just a half-empty knockoff Bath & Body Works soap labeled Eucalyptus. Eve sighed, then got to work. At least she couldn't make the smell worse.

By the time Eve came out of the restroom, Kenny was gone, as was the clerk. Eve blinked, then did a double-take.

Another man stood in front of the desk. He was larger, with a round belly his coat did nothing to hide. He had a white, well-trimmed beard. Luggage lay scattered around him. He spoke loudly on the phone in another language. Russian, maybe? Definitely something eastern European. 

When he spotted Eve, he tossed up a hand. 

"Ah! Finally!" He gestured to the front desk. "I had a very long flight. I'd like to check-in." His English was heavily accented; at Eve's shocked expression, he added, "Please. I don't mean to be rude, but I am very tired." 

"I'm sorry," she said. She pointed at the logo on her shirt, a silhouette of a man running with a briefcase. Underneath, in capital letters, was Buy More. "I don't work here."

A pair of footsteps echoed down the opposite hall. She was spared any further questioning as the clerk and Kenny reappeared. The clerk lit up at the sight of a paying customer. "Sir, if I could just have your name, I'll get you checked into our system as soon as I can. Unfortunately, we had a very minor system outage, but it should be up and running in a few minutes."

"Vasiliev. I called yesterday to request an early check-in."

"Yes, yes, of course. Can I get you anything while you wait? Coffee, tea? I really do apologize for the delay..."

Kenny stepped over to Eve. Under his breath, he said, "Three guesses, but it'll only take you one." 

Eve scrunched up her nose. "Ew. At work?"

"Night shift clerk got bored. Didn't want anything appearing in the search history so he downloaded some instead. Plus a nasty little virus."

"Why couldn't he use incognito mode like everyone else?"

"At a minimum, yeah. But anyone computer savvy would still be able to see his activity.”

“Hah, yeah. Definitely.” Eve chuckled nervously. "Hey, since you finished that so fast, want to go grab breakfast? We're only ten minutes away from Crumbs."

Kenny stood up a little straighter at the offer, but his shoulders slumped soon after. "I don't know, Eve. I have to give our job log to Mike. Don't you think he'll be suspicious that it took us hours to get back to the store after a fifteen-minute job?"

"Lots of traffic. I don't know. I don't think he reads the paperwork you give him."

Kenny shook his head. "Sorry."

"Okay, fine. What if we just stop and get pastries? It'll take us less than five minutes, and it's mostly on the way. I forgot to eat before work; I'm starving."

Kenny hesitated before finally nodding. It took everything in Eve not to openly cheer. Getting Kenny to break the rules happened as frequently as it rained in the desert. Before he could change his mind, Eve gently pushed on his arm, steering him toward their car. 

"And if he asks about it?" Kenny asked as he pushed the door open.

"About five minutes? Seriously?"

"Eve." Kenny's tone had a note of warning in it.

"Wow, um. Really? Tell him we hit every traffic light."

"No, your bag. You forgot it."

Eve glanced wildly around. "Shit. You're right. Here, take these." She handed the keys to Kenny before walking back into the building. 

The man, Vasiliev, was still on the phone. He turned at the sound of the door, but when he saw it was Eve he turned back around. The bag was where she left it, but Vasiliev's luggage had fallen over top of it. Eve pulled her bag out from underneath his suitcase, glaring up at the man facing away from her. She left his suitcase face down on the floor.

Mind already on breakfast, she returned to the car. 

\---

The support line was silent the rest of the day, which meant that Eve spent the rest of her shift cycling between endless boredom and trying not to pull her hair out when customers asked inane questions. Bright green labels dangled in front of each section of the store, so why did the customers feel like they had to ask her where the televisions were located? _The back of the store._ It became a mantra. No, we are not having a sale currently. Yes, if the label says “best selling model,” then it probably is the best selling. 

At least on off-site jobs, she could play on her phone. Here, phones were strongly encouraged to remain in employee lockers. As in, it was a fireable offense unless there was an emergency. 

All support calls were sent through to the Nerd Herd desk at the center of the store, where Kenny and Bear, the other support technician, sat. Eve occasionally snuck her phone into their domain just to charge it, but customers considered that as free rein to ask her questions that only the support technicians would know.

So it wasn’t her fault, not really, that it took her until she got home that evening to realize that she’d grabbed the wrong bag. Her phone was dead, like always, and since she’d managed to lose her other cord last week, she was stuck bringing her charger to and from work.

She unzipped the bag, expecting to find her cord tangled at the bottom of the otherwise empty bag. Instead, she found a handful of loose papers, a plane ticket from that morning, a granola bar, and two empty, single-shot vodka bottles.

“Shit.”

“Bad day at work?” Elena asked from their small kitchen. “Do you want some wine?”

“Yes, work is always bad. And yes on the second question, too. I wouldn’t say no to the whole bottle.”

Eve picked up the plane ticket. Vasiliev, K. Row 2, seat A. He’d flown first class. What a dick move it was to complain about a long flight when you were able to get free alcohol and not fight anyone for arm or leg space. Eve had never flown first class before, but she imagined it was a hell of a lot better than the cramped economy seating at the back of the plane. 

Elena set a glass of wine next to Eve. It was full enough that if Eve wasn’t careful, it would spill over as she took her first drink. She shot a grateful smile at Elena.

“What’s that?” Elena asked, gesturing to the ticket. Her glass was only half full, but knowing Elena, she had pre-gamed in the kitchen. 

Eve took a sip before answering. “I think I stole somebody’s bag by mistake. Oh, this is good wine.”

“Five dollars, and it’s from a box.” Elena grinned.

Eve took another sip. There was a bitter aftertaste, but that was easily chased away by more wine. 

“So what are you going to do? Is there a business card with a phone number?”

Eve reluctantly set her glass down and pulled the bag toward her. “I didn’t see one before, but I didn’t check any of the pockets. God, this sucks. I just wanted to charge my phone, and now it’s at like eight percent and I’m going to have to buy a new charger on Amazon, and then wait days for it to get here.” Already, she dreaded the support calls without her phone to keep her busy. 

Elena made a face. “Um, you work at an electronics store.”

Eve scoffed. “Yeah, and I know how overpriced they are. I’m not paying an extra ten dollars for the convenience of getting it from a store.” Eve shoved her hand into the bag with a little more force than necessary.

Elena shifted uncomfortably but didn’t say anything. She didn’t need to; they rarely talked about Eve’s financial situation. Or rather, lack of finances. After losing her well-paying job and divorcing Niko, Elena had offered to let Eve live in her two-bedroom apartment. Eve tried to contribute to the rent each month, but she knew that it was hardly a quarter of what Elena paid. 

“No card,” she said. Her hand brushed against something small and cool to the touch. She pulled it from the bag. It was a small silver USB; Eve thought they sold something similar at the Buy More. “A flash drive, but no business card.”

Elena reached for the papers. “What language do you think this is? Aw, look, Eve.” Between the sheets lay a piece of torn notebook paper with a stick figure family drawn lovingly in crayon. 

“Please tell me you’re going to return the bag.”

“Yeah, sure.” Eve returned her attention to the flash drive. “I’ll have to return it after work tomorrow. Oh my god, how am I supposed to get anywhere without Google maps? Do you think anyone would notice if one of the chargers from work went missing?” At Elena’s stern look, Eve held up her hands defensively. “What do you care about more: reuniting a father with his child’s drawing, or preventing a store from losing five dollars of profit?”

Elena sighed. “I hate you for making me say this, but: the child.” She downed the rest of her wine. “That’s it for me. I have to get up early tomorrow. Night, Eve.”

“Night, Elena.”

Eve toyed with the flash drive. It wasn’t her business to know what was on it, but maybe one of the documents had an email address. And then maybe, just maybe, she could coordinate with Vasiliev to do a bag exchange at the Buy More. It was a win-win: she didn’t have to pay for gas or a new phone charger. 

She grabbed her wine and went to her bedroom. 

Eve plugged her laptop in to keep it from dying; its battery life wasn’t what it was when Niko had first gotten it for her as a birthday present. Just another thing barely holding on. Eve typed in her password and then plugged in the USB. 

There was only one file on the thumb drive, something labeled “intersect_version3.exe.” Eve sighed. So much for that idea. Back to square one—hopefully this Vasiliev was still at the hotel the next evening.

Eve’s mouse hovered over the filename. What would be the harm in opening it? She might not find an email address, but there might be some information she could use. If it gave her a virus, she could always have Kenny fix the laptop. 

She took one final sip of wine, grimacing at the aftertaste before she double-clicked the file. Nothing happened. Just her desktop staring back at her for a moment before the fans whirred at top speed, and suddenly everything happened. Images flashed by, repeating on a loop. Guns, blood, bodies, weapons of mass destruction. Documents popped up and disappeared faster than Eve could read them. Terrorists, corrupt politicians, banking information, building plans, and in between them all, weapons of every shape and size. 

Eve couldn’t look away, couldn’t so much as blink. It was as if the program had hypnotized her. Audio played in the background, disjointed from the images. Multiple voices talked at once, and all at a speed so quick Eve couldn’t understand more than a few words. She wasn’t even sure it was English. The murmurs turned to screams of agony.

At some point, everything went black.

\---

The next time she opened her eyes, daylight blinded her. Her whole body ached, but worst of all was her head. She couldn’t move without it pounding a steady beat right behind her eyes. As long as she stayed still, she could manage the discomfort.

She was on the floor. She wasn’t sure how she got there, but she vowed to never take Elena up on cheap boxed wine again. This was the worst hangover she’d had since college. 

It took a few minutes to pull herself together enough to get on all fours, then another five minutes to get from her knees to a standing position. She used her desk as leverage, but as soon as she saw her laptop, she lost her balance and tumbled over. She smacked her head against the floor, and she doubled over, trying not to throw up from the pain.

Her laptop was fried. In fact, if somebody handed Eve two laptops—hers, and one dropped out of a car and then set on fire—she wasn’t sure she could tell them apart. Something had done a real number to it. 

So it wasn’t a dream. Those images, whatever they were, had been real.

“What the fuck was this guy into? Why couldn’t it be porn like everyone else?” 

Her computer was dead, but maybe the flash drive still worked. Eve pulled herself up onto her knees and grabbed the laptop. The F key broke as she pulled it closer. The USB was hot to the touch. Burning, in fact. Eve yelped and stuck her thumb into her mouth. Where the laptop had previously rested, the desk was discolored and burnt. 

At least her desk hadn’t caught on fire. Elena would have killed her if she’d managed to burn down their apartment. Or even worse, she would have kicked Eve out. Rent elsewhere was four times more than what Eve could afford on her own. 

How could she explain what happened? She’d seen a PowerPoint presentation and her computer burned up. Simple as that. Her stomach churned at the thought.

She hadn’t done anything wrong, so why did it feel like it? Any evidence of Eve’s wrongdoing was burned to a crisp. She wouldn’t have to tell anyone. Vasiliev would just have to get another picture from his kid; there was no way she was going back to that hotel. 

She needed to throw away the laptop. It was useless now, as was the USB. Eve reached down and found a dirty sock to use to protect her hand from the heat still pooling off the USB. It came away warped, more C-shaped than plastic had a right to bend. In all her time working—albeit begrudgingly—around computer repairs, she’d never seen anything like this. 

She wasn’t sure when the apartment complex emptied their dumpsters, but the Buy More had a regularly scheduled Monday and Thursday pickup. Nobody would notice if she snuck in a small package. Having a plan helped—Eve felt like a weight had been lifted off of her. 

Elena was long gone by the time Eve made it out of her bedroom. She worked long hours, which meant Eve had plenty of time to herself. The kitchen was spotless, recently cleaned by the look of things. Eve accidentally knocked over the salt and pepper shakers as she reached for the painkillers. Elena hid the good kind behind vitamins as if that was the perfect place to prevent Eve from finding them. Eve didn’t take vitamins—she could barely remember to take care of herself—but it was hard to miss the bright orange prescription bottle. She shoved past the fish oil and vitamin D. Normally she wouldn’t use drugs as a means to get by, but she didn’t think regular ibuprofen would do the trick this time. 

With her phone dead and her laptop fried, that meant trashy reality television until she could focus on something other than the pounding in her head. Eve downed the pills and lowered herself onto the couch. 

Loud knocking woke her up. 

The television was still on, volume low. A commercial for fast food played, the camera panning in slow motion over a hamburger. Eve shut the television off. The knocking continued.

“I’m coming!” She shouted. Her head still ached, but she felt much better than that morning. 

Kenny stood outside, already dressed in his Buy More polo and khaki shorts. He held his bike up with one hand on the handlebar. “I tried texting you.”

Eve leaned her forehead on the door. “My phone’s dead. I lost my charger.”

“Again?”

Eve shot him a look. “What are you doing here? Elena’s at work.”

Kenny inhaled sharply. “Can you give me a ride to work? My mom had something come up last minute.”

Eve sighed. “I don’t start until noon today. I had a rough night last night so I was planning on relaxing this morning.” 

“It’s eleven. Like I said, I tried calling, but—”

“Shit, already?” She opened the door wider. “Okay, come in. Let me get ready.”

“What about my bike? Somebody will steal it if I leave it out here.”

“Put it in the living room, I guess. I don’t know. Is it dirty?”

They both looked down at the tires. It was five miles from Kenny’s house to Eve’s apartment. “I mostly rode on sidewalks,” Kenny said. 

“Fine, but you’re vacuuming if you leave a mess.”

Kenny rolled the bike in, then stood awkwardly next to it. 

He’d been in the apartment a few times before, both for rides and for those few times Elena insisted on meeting Eve’s work friends before she realized most of them worked at an electronics store for a reason. Kenny’s ride requests mostly coincided with Elena’s days off. He would stammer as she made polite inquiries after his job and health, and flushed scarlet whenever she brought up how toned his legs were from cycling everywhere. 

“You can watch TV if you want,” Eve offered. “I’ll just be a few minutes.”

“Take your time,” Kenny said, and Eve wondered if he was thinking back to that awful smell from yesterday.

“Okay, yeah,” Eve conceded. “I’ll shower. My hair takes forever to dry, though, so we might have to take the toll road instead of the expressway.”

“We’ll have to go that way anyway. There’s a huge convention downtown—they were talking about it on the radio. SPY, or something? I’ve never heard of it...”

It was like Eve was underwater. Kenny’s mouth was moving, but no words came out, at least none that Eve could hear. Her vision went next, the living room replaced by flashes of one man’s photograph interspersed with scenes of various militaries using ruggedized computers, radar, infrared sensors, and devices she’d never seen before. The man’s image flashed again, but this time with his passport photo and name—Jacob Michelson, wanted by the FBI and CIA for selling weapons to terrorist organizations. Flashes of photographic proof: Jacob shaking hands with a client, bank statements, screen captures of messages, and finally, all the destruction those weapons caused in the wrong hands. 

“Eve?”

Eve blinked. “Yeah?”

“Are you feeling okay? You kind of zoned out for a moment there.”

“Yeah. Yeah! Feeling great. Just thinking about traffic.”

“Okay...” Kenny looked doubtful.

“It’s a three-day conference, so we’ll have to go an alternate way for the rest of the week.”

“Wait, the SPY conference?”

“It’s SPIE, actually. It stands for Society of Photo-optical Instrumentation Engineers. And yeah, there are supposed to be like twenty thousand people. It’s the world’s largest photonics conference. Crazy, right? Who knew there were that many people who cared about photonics.”

Kenny stared at her open-mouthed. Eve felt her heart in her throat. How did she know that? It just spilled out of her. And the flashes, what even was that? She was going insane. Or maybe it was the pills she’d taken earlier. She could have miscounted and taken more than she needed. 

Eve chuckled nervously, then gestured to the television. “I was watching the news. It must have been a slow news day because that’s all they talked about this morning. Anyway, I’ll be back in a minute!”

It took everything in her not to fall apart in front of Kenny. She could feel his eyes on her all the way down the hall. She slammed the door to the bathroom before nearly collapsing. She caught herself at the sink. A wild reflection stared back. Her eyes were red and watery; it looked like she hadn’t slept well in months. Half of her hair was out of the loose bun she’d worn last night. 

Who was this woman? Not even a year ago, she had a well-paying job and a husband. What did she have now? A crispy laptop poptart? She could leave everything behind in a heartbeat. She’d miss her evening wine with Elena, but those mostly ended with Eve drinking more than she should to forget about the job she hated, and Elena making sympathetic humming noises. There wasn’t anything more Elena could do, and they both knew it. Everything Eve was qualified and willing to work on was permanently out of reach, and she only had herself to blame.

No one forced her to send classified documents to her personal device. She hadn’t thought it through beyond being able to continue working at home. They’d had training on it; somewhere in the back of her mind, she’d known it was a bad idea. But just because you act on a bad idea doesn’t mean you always pay the consequences, and Eve had promised herself that it was just going to be a one-time thing; it was late at night, and she’d wanted to work in the comfort of her own home, not on a government-issued computer in a cold, dimly lit room. Google Drive opened immediately, not blocked by a half dozen different firewalls, and Eve had knowingly pasted in government secrets. And now here she was, blacklisted and with a revoked clearance.

And now, on top of everything, she was seeing things. Really violent, graphic things. After her first week at the Buy More, she thought her life couldn’t get worse. That’s the good thing about rock bottom; up is the only way to go. 

Up until yesterday, Eve thought she was living her rock bottom, that her suffering had an expiration date on it. Now, she found herself floundering. What had been the point of her suffering, if not for the eventual redemption? 

Her reflection distorted, blurry around the edges as tears welled up. She bit her lip hard enough to taste blood. At least it was enough to prevent the tears. 

\---

Despite the shower and a clean, mostly wrinkle-free polo, Eve still felt like shit. It must have carried over into how she looked because Mike took one look at her and assigned her to stock in the back instead of her actual assigned task for the day. 

When Mike went on his lunch break, Eve took it upon herself to invade the Nerd Herd kiosk. Bear stashed snacks in the drawers, and Eve hadn’t packed anything for herself. Her stomach rumbled at the thought of whatever sugary treat she’d find. 

Only Kenny was at the desk. He pointedly stared at the brand new phone charger she held. “Are you going to buy that, or—”

“Testing it before I buy,” she said, her eyes daring him to argue. 

“Ah,” he managed to say. He dropped his gaze. “Outlets are under the desk.”

Eve ripped open the packaging. Kenny held out his hand, and Eve deposited the trash in his palm. Neither said a word as Eve climbed under the desk. When she popped back up, Kenny was gone. 

“Hi,” someone said.

Eve turned around.

A woman stood in front of the counter. The store catered to a certain demographic, one that this woman in no way fit. She was young, at least a decade younger than Eve, and dressed as if she'd just come from a photoshoot. Her blonde hair was pinned back, exaggerating her cheekbones and wide-set eyes. 

She wasn’t smiling, not exactly, but her lips were slightly upturned. It almost looked like she was in on something Eve wasn’t privy to—a secret, perhaps, or something that gave her an advantage over Eve. Her eyes darted around Eve’s face, lingering for longer than necessary on Eve’s messy hair, before returning to meet Eve’s gaze. 

The woman leaned forward, elbows resting on the counter. The woman’s scent washed over Eve, an intoxicating mix of spices, flowers, and sandalwood.

She sighed, then said, “This is really terrible customer service.”

Eve’s mouth dropped open. “Excuse me?”

“I said hi. You’re supposed to say something back. For example: hello, how may I help you?” 

And despite the voice screaming in her head to suck it up, to be the bigger person and let the customer be always right, Eve found herself saying, “I know how to do my job.”

The woman tilted her head, looking rather doubtful. 

“What do you want?” Eve asked, her tone syrupy sweet.

The woman placed a phone on the counter. “I would like someone to look at this.”

“What’s wrong with it?” 

"I dropped it," the woman said in a tone that indicated Eve should have already known the answer. 

Eve grabbed the phone. There was a giant crack down the middle, but the screen turned on at the press of a button. Eve studied the wallpaper on the lock screen, then looked back up at the woman, eyes narrowed in thought. 

"You don't seem the type to fish." She hadn't meant for her words to sound accusatory, but it came out as more of a statement instead of a polite question. 

The woman's brow furrowed. "What?"

Eve held up the phone, showing the woman her lock screen: a generic photo of a bass jumping out of water.

"Mm." The woman smiled without showing teeth. "Yes. I love it. Fishing is just so great, you know?" She took a step away from the counter, hands placed on her hips. 

“No.” Eve set the phone down. “I don’t like the smell. Or the mess." 

"Death is always messy, whether it's a fish or something bigger." 

Eve tensed, gaze flickering up to meet the other woman. The woman stared back, expression neutral, eyes vacant. 

"So, Eve, can you fix it?" 

"You know my name?”

The woman rolled her eyes. "Again with the customer service. Yes, I know because it's on your name tag. I was trying to be polite, even though you're doing a terrible job helping me. I really should ask to speak to your manager." 

"You'll have to wait; he's on his lunch break and he always takes the full hour." 

"How do I know you're not lying?" 

Eve sighed. "Why don't you go ask somebody else?"

A grin spread across the woman’s face. "Why would I do that? You're much more fun to talk to." 

Eve suppressed a groan of frustration. "Then stop complaining if you want me to help you. I'm trying my best, but you're not making it easy." 

The woman scoffed. “I’m not the one asking about fishing.”

"I had a long night," Eve snapped. "And your phone is fine, by the way. We can replace the screen and then it should be good as new." 

"Okay, great. Was that so hard to say?" 

"Yes, actually. This would have gone a lot better if you hadn’t immediately accused me of being terrible at my job. Which, by the way, isn’t my real job. I don’t know where my coworker went, but he should be the one helping you replace your phone screen.”

“One of the nerds of the Nerd Herd?” 

“They prefer the name Nerd Herders, but yes.”

The woman let out a guffaw. “That’s a dumb name.”

“At least we can agree on one thing,” Eve said. 

The woman smiled again, eyes crinkling in the corner. "Yes." She drummed her fingers on the edge of the counter. "You're not part of this herd of nerds?" 

"It's complicated." 

"How so?" 

Eve hesitated, unwilling to admit to her role as Kenny's driver. "I'd rather not talk about it."

The woman sharpened her gaze. "Why is that?" 

“It's embarrassing," Eve said. "That's all." 

"Would you be willing to tell me over drinks?" 

Eve froze. "Drinks?" she parroted back. 

The woman raised a delicate eyebrow. "Yes, Eve, drinks. Maybe dinner, too, if you want."

“I hate to sound like a broken record, but again—you just insulted me to my face. Why would I want to do anything with you?”

“You might be bad at your job but I also said you were a lot of fun to talk to, so.” 

Eve narrowed her eyes. “That’s not an apology.”

“I didn’t realize I owed you one.”

“It’s kind of customary after you hurt someone’s feelings.”

“Did I hurt your feelings?”

Eve thought for a moment before finally saying, “No, I don’t think you did.”

“Okay. So no apology is required.”

Eve jabbed a finger in the woman’s direction. “Don’t be a dick.”

Amusement sparked in the woman’s eyes. “Wow, Eve, so rude! And you didn’t even answer my question.”

“Why would I say yes when I don’t even know your name?”

The woman’s grin turned feral. "It's Villanelle. Nice to meet you, Eve.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Monday!

Elena wolf-whistled from her spot on the couch when Eve stepped into the living room. Eve spun to face her, self consciously patting down her hair in case any stray hairs had escaped from her ponytail between the bathroom and the living room. 

Elena had already changed out of her business attire and into a pair of comfortable-looking sweatpants and a t-shirt. Elena’s work laptop lay forgotten on her lap as she studied Eve with a curiosity that hadn’t been directed Eve’s way in months.

“Look at you!” Elena said. “Hot date?”

Unbidden, Villanelle’s face came to mind. Eve scoffed. “Hardly.” 

Even so, she looked down at her outfit, dredged up from the back of her closet. Aside from her Buy More polo and khakis, she hadn’t worn anything other than leggings and oversized t-shirts for longer than she could remember. It felt weird wearing a sweater now, especially one that hugged her body. She’d tucked the sweater into slate gray slacks she’d dug out of a box labeled “Ex-Work Stuff.” 

The slacks were slightly wrinkled and smelled a little like mothballs, but she didn’t have the time to iron them, let alone sit around for an entire washer and dryer cycle. She hoped her perfume covered up the lingering odor. It wasn’t overpowering like Villanelle’s; it was soft, smelling faintly of roses. Like the clothing, it was a relic from her past life. 

Elena shut her laptop and turned her full attention on Eve. “If it’s not a date, then is it a job interview?”

Eve’s stomach churned at Elena’s hopeful expression. “No, not a job interview either.” Eve frowned. “Does this really look like a job interview outfit?”

Elena shrugged. “Honestly, it’s a bit hard to tell with you sometimes.”

Eve’s frown deepened as she plucked a piece of lint from her sleeve. Elena wasn’t wrong; this used to be one of her favorite sweaters to wear to work, but she’d also worn it on the rare occasion she and Niko went out to dinner instead of ordering in.

“So are you going to tell me where you’re going dressed like that, or am I just supposed to guess?”

“I’m meeting someone,” Eve said. After a pause, she added, “A woman.”

Elena’s eyebrows rose almost to her hairline.

“It’s not a date,” Eve said again, just in case it wasn’t clear the first time.

“Right,” Elena said, agreeing a little too quickly for Eve’s liking. “How’d you meet? Tinder? Her?”

“No. She came into the store today and accused me of being terrible at my job.”

“Oh?” Elena dragged out the word, face going through a myriad of emotions before settling on confused.

“Yeah, it was weird. And then she refused to apologize for being a jerk. But there’s something about her that I can’t place my finger on. It’s like there’s something more than what meets the eye, you know? I mean, I barely know anything about her—I know she likes to fish, how strange is that—but...what’s the look for?” 

“Eve, you’re rambling.” Elena set her laptop on the coffee table and folded her hands across her lap. She looked like a giddy school girl ready to hear the local gossip.

“Can you blame me? I’m surrounded by nerds all day long. She’s the first interesting person I’ve met since I moved here, no offense.”

“None taken.”

“Anyway, I’m going to make her pay for everything. You should have seen what she was wearing, Elena. God.”

“Remind me again why this isn’t a date?”

Eve shot her a look. “I was married to a man for thirteen years.” 

“And?”

Eve shrugged. “I don’t know. I never really thought about it before.” Even still, she felt something like doubt creeping up her spine, but she pushed it right back down just as quickly as it came. 

“You might want to start thinking about it.” 

“I’m sure she meant it as friends,” Eve insisted. “Inviting someone out to drinks is just that—drinks and maybe some small talk.”

Elena narrowed her eyes. “What did you and Niko do on your first date?”

“Watched a movie,” Eve answered curtly. Elena waited, and Eve hated her for it. “Followed by drinks at his favorite pub.” Elena let out a snort of a laugh. “Shut up, Elena, stop laughing. She’s so far out of my league that even if I was interested, it’s not like I stand a chance. Hell, I should be the one asking her and getting turned down.”

Elena stifled her laughter behind her palm. When she finally composed herself, she said, “Eve, that’s not true at all; if I didn’t already know what it’s like to live with you, I’d offer to date you myself. However, the sink is filled with your dirty dishes, and I don’t think you’ve cleaned the apartment once since you’ve been here, so I’m just going to save us any future heartache for you and say thanks, but no thanks.”

Eve blinked, then laughed. “Thanks, I think?”

“Any time. But I meant it about those dishes. There’s a smell coming from the bottom of the pile.”

“That’s disgusting,” Eve said. “I’ll wash them tomorrow.”

“No, you won’t.”

—

Eve took an Uber downtown, which turned out to be both a blessing and a curse. Traffic was a mess getting into the heart of the city, and once there, was significantly worse due to the some thirty thousand SPIE attendees all eating dinner or getting drinks before the opening ceremony. Between limited street parking and parking garages price gouging, Eve would have ended up paying nearly as much as her Uber ride for two-hour parking. 

The driver, once confirming she’d called for an Uber, turned the radio up and left Eve alone with her thoughts. And honestly, that was far worse than any fight for a parking spot, because he’d had the local radio turned on and once again forcing her into another vision or flash or whatever it was that was making her feel like she was going insane. 

This time, the flashes included images of General Taylor Grant, the guest speaker for the opening ceremony. It also included the evening schedule along with a pre-written speech. Thankfully, it was much more fleeting this time, hardly any longer than the time it took Eve to breathe in and out. Even so, it left her winded, heart pounding against her chest like she’d sprinted down the length of a football field. 

So what better way to stem the inevitable panic than to focus on the other unknown variable in her life—her upcoming meeting with Villanelle. As the Uber driver weaved in and out of the flow of traffic, Eve cursed herself for saying yes to drinks. 

What had she been thinking, agreeing to this? But that was just it; she hadn’t been thinking, she had caught herself off guard when she immediately agreed to Villanelle’s offer, no questions asked. It was one of those moments where she tended to be impulsive and then regret it later. 

Once, back in the early days of her marriage with Niko, back when they still tried, Eve had signed them up for a couples cooking class featuring expensive wines paired with like dishes. Throughout the length of their marriage, Niko had always done the cooking. At the time, Eve pictured Niko coming home from work and smelling a fragrant, home-cooked meal. The classes had cost an outrageous sum of money, and Niko had just laughed and laughed when she told him her plan. He’d kissed her and told her that he loved her, but cooking was never going to be something they did together.

There were other impulsive decisions—impulsive purchases and actions, but that was one of the few times she’d ever been called out on it or faced consequences. The course was non-refundable. She’d dragged Niko to the first class in an attempt to prove him wrong, but wound up hating it the second the teacher started talking about culinary safety and tools. They didn’t go back.

She was beginning to feel like this was another cooking class. The promise of drinks with a beautiful and mysterious woman sounded too good to be true. Maybe she was a serial killer. Or worse, maybe she’d talk about fishing all night. Eve pressed her head against the car’s window and sighed.

Why her? And what were the odds that she was at the desk instead of Kenny or Bear? Would it be one of the two of them heading into the city instead? 

Somehow she doubted it. Kenny would have fixed her phone on the spot, and Bear would have brought it into the back so he didn’t have to deal with small talk. Only Eve was bored enough to argue with a customer.

God, this was a mistake. Why had she said yes? She wished she had Villanele's phone number so she could cancel. She could always stand her up, go to another bar in the area so Elena wouldn’t question why she was home so early, but she couldn’t afford to buy her own drinks, and she was too tired to flirt with men to get them. 

When the Uber driver finally pulled up to Gershwin’s, Eve got out without a fuss. 

The bar, located just a few blocks from the convention center, was packed with older businessmen. The majority wore a SPIE convention badge, picked up a few hours ago at badge pickup. Eve didn’t want to think about how she knew the schedule.

The bar itself was nicer than any place Eve would have picked on her own. The top shelf was generously stocked and looked well used. Up above, exposed wood beams gave a softer, more rustic feel to the otherwise modern bar. Black and white photographs with bright red frames lined the walls.

Eve suspected that, even without the convention bringing in this traffic, a normal night would have the same type of patrons. More women, perhaps; for every group of men, Eve spotted only a few women. 

Villanelle stood out in the crowd. In a bar toeing the line of maximum capacity, it only took Eve an instant to spot her. She wore a suit and tie, but unlike the rest of the crowd, her clothes seemed like they were made only for her, not picked up at the latest Men’s Warehouse sale. Her hair was pulled up in an elegant bun, not a hair out of place. There were already two glasses on the table, clean but empty, along with an open bottle of champagne. 

She smiled when she spotted Eve. “Hi.”

“Hi,” Eve said. She placed a hand on the back of the open seat, hesitating. 

“I won’t bite,” Villanelle said, gesturing to the chair. “At least, not unless you ask.”

Eve shot her a look, but pulled the chair out anyway and settled in. This close, she could smell Villanelle’s heady perfume. It was intoxicating, overpowering even when mixed with the smell of bar food and beer.

Villanelle studied Eve, eyes darting between her sweater and her hair. “You wore it up,” Villanelle said. 

Eve tugged at her ponytail self consciously. Villanelle watched her hand with hungry eyes. 

Eve burned under her gaze. She cleared her throat and then, rather desperately, tried to change the subject. “I thought you were buying drinks.”

Villanelle gestured to the bottle resting between them. “This is the most expensive champagne they have.”

“Wow, okay.” Eve tugged at the sleeve of her sweater. “When you said drinks, I kind of pictured hard liquor. Shots, maybe, or gin and tonic.”

Villanelle leaned in closer. “Get whatever you want, Eve, but I guarantee this is going to be the best thing you taste all night.” 

Eve took in a shaky breath. Villanelle watched with calm satisfaction before pouring them each a glass. She stared at Eve the whole time she took a slow sip. Eve, on the other hand, lunged for her glass, downing half in one long gulp. The bubbles burned in her throat. The taste was exquisite, but she wouldn’t admit it aloud.

So, of course, the next words out of Villanelle’s mouth were, “So am I getting you shots, or do you think you can stomach drinking Dom Perignon for the evening?”

Eve stayed stubbornly silent. Villanelle, already knowing the answer, took another sip of her champagne. Reluctantly, Eve followed suit, draining her glass. 

“It’s not bad,” she conceded. 

With a victorious smirk, Villanelle refilled Eve’s glass. This one, Eve sipped more slowly, savoring the flavor. 

“Are you here for the conference?” Eve asked. Villanelle wasn’t wearing a badge, but with a power suit like that, Eve could easily see her leading a seminar. There was something magnetic about her. 

Villanelle’s brow furrowed. “No, I wasn’t planning on it.”

“So you’re a local then?”

“No.”

“It seems like an odd time to vacation.”

“It’s not a vacation.”

Eve pursed her lips. “You’re the one who invited me out to drinks. You could at least try to make an effort and talk with me.”

“What you’re saying is boring. Why would I want to talk about that?” To illustrate her point, Villanelle let out a big yawn, arms stretched out wide. 

Anger quickly flared in the pit of Eve’s stomach. Through gritted teeth, she said, “If you’ll excuse me, I have to go to the bathroom.” She didn’t look back as she fled the table, but she could feel Villanelle’s eyes on her the whole time.

The one benefit of a largely male group was the lack of a bathroom line. Eve took her time, washing her hands at a leisurely pace. She wished she’d brought her phone with her, if only so she could waste even more time away from their table. She was furious enough to consider leaving right now, but she couldn't do that without first grabbing her purse. She stared at her reflection, almost considered taking her hair out of her ponytail before remembering Villanelle’s reaction to her hair being up and away from her face. She wouldn’t give Villanelle the satisfaction.

When she got back to the table, her purse wasn’t where she left it. Instead, it was in front of Villanelle, who was rather discretely putting her phone back into the pocket of her blazer. Eve opened her mouth to protest, but Villanelle beat her to the punch.

“Eve, that was incredibly careless. What if someone stole all your money?” She shoved the purse back into Eve’s arms and shot her an incredulous look, as though Eve was the one at fault. 

“You were here,” Eve said. She hung her purse back on her chair before taking a seat. “Nobody would have taken it with you sitting right here.”

Of all the things Eve expected Villanelle to say, she hadn’t expected what came out of Villanelle’s mouth next. Her voice was softer as she asked, “You trust me?”

Eve shrugged, taken aback. “You haven’t given me a reason not to yet.”

“Even though I could have stolen your wallet while you weren’t looking?”

Eve let out a long sigh. “You and I both know that you wouldn’t do that.”

Villanelle tilted her head. “Why is that?”

“Because you saw where I work, and if you’re still trying to steal from me after that, then you need the money more than I do.”

“That’s your only job?” Villanelle asked, leaning forward.

Eve threw up her hands. “How is this interesting? You accused me of being boring, and you want to talk about work?”

“It’s interesting because we’re talking about you.”

“What, and you’re so boring?”

Villanelle peered up through her lashes, the very picture of innocence. “Yes. Very.”

Eve leaned back, folding her arms across her chest. If Villanelle wanted to play, she would play. 

"Yes," Eve said. "That's where I work. It's just a thrill a minute. Did you want to hear more about it?"

"Yes," Villanelle said, never taking her eyes off Eve. "Tell me everything."

"I stock and rearrange shelves, set up for major holidays and sales, work the cash register, process returns."

"That's it?"

Eve faltered, but then decided to hell with it; anything she said couldn't make this evening any worse. "Deal with bratty customers."

"We're back to this again?" Villanelle sighed. "I thought you were different, Eve."

"I also drive my coworker around so he can fix computers. Why, are you thinking of applying?"

Villanelle scoffed, like the very idea was beneath her. Eve wasn't even upset—they both knew it was true. 

"Why do you care so much about where I work? You met me there. I'm not sure why it's suddenly news that I work at a dead-end job. You're the one who asked me out to drinks, and you're making the entire evening unpleasant. I didn't realize this was going to be an interrogation. Are we actually going to drink and enjoy ourselves, or should I just go ahead and call for an Uber now?"

Villanelle's expression remained passive for a long moment. Long enough for Eve to reach for her purse, but a hand on her arm stopped her. "Don't go. Here, let me pour you another glass."

"Fine. But only because the champagne is really good. Don't you dare say 'I told you so' or so help me I will leave right now."

Villanelle mimed zipping her lips shut, but that didn't stop the smug grin from quickly taking over her face. Eve slumped against the back of her chair as Villanelle emptied the bottle between their two glasses. Eve took hers immediately and brought it to her lips before Villanelle even set the empty bottle back down on the table. They were silent for several minutes, Eve content to sip and people watch. It didn't hurt that Villanelle's eyes never turned away from Eve. 

Eve occasionally swept her gaze over Villanelle's face, catching her eyes, but she always focused on something else just beyond Villanelle. It seemed to aggravate the other woman, who seemed like she was always used to being the center of attention. It took a few minutes of repeating this pattern, but eventually Villanelle let out a growl of frustration and gave in, turning to look at what was so interesting behind her. 

Eve chuckled as Villanelle took in what Eve had been staring at: two very average-looking men in business suits who definitely were more into each other than playing eye tag with Eve. In fact, under Eve's unrelenting stare, they had even shuffled closer to one another and turned away, clearly disinterested.

"Are you homophobic?" Villanelle's voice was sharp.

Eve choked on her drink. "What? No!" Just like that, any satisfaction she’d gained by getting a rise out of Villanelle quickly drained from her. 

Villanelle gestured to the two men behind them. "You were glaring at them. That's homophobic, Eve." 

"Glaring? I wasn't glaring at them. If I was glaring at anybody, it would have been you!" She covered her face with her hands. "God, this is a disaster. I don't know what I was thinking saying yes to drinks with you."

"This isn't going great, no." Villanelle rolled her shoulders back, looking rather uncomfortable at the thought of not being perfect at something. "Normally I'm much better at this."

And there it was. Eve swallowed thickly. She only had to ask; Villanelle would tell her the truth. "And what exactly is this?" She wasn't proud of the way her voice shook a little. And why did it matter so much what this was supposed to be? Regardless of whether it was a date or two new friends meeting for drinks, it was never going to happen again. She should have left ages ago.

Villanelle raised both eyebrows. "You mean you don't know?" 

Eve pressed her lips together in a firm line, determined to show Villanelle she wouldn't say another word until Villanelle answered her question. Their back and forth was as exhilarating as it was exhausting, and for once she just wanted to win.

"I bought you drinks. I wore this fantastic outfit." She gestured at herself, just in case Eve had somehow missed how amazing the clothes looked on Villanelle. "I was asking you out, Eve."

Eve's heart hammered in her chest. "Oh," she murmured, barely audible above the din of the crowd. Damn it, Elena was right. 

Villanelle leaned forward, elbows on the table. "Are you okay with that?"

Eve looked away. She couldn't think with Villanelle's big eyes watching her. Or rather, she didn't trust her response with Villanelle looking at her like that—like she cared what Eve said, like she might be upset if Eve said something other than yes even though their evening had been a disaster. 

Unfortunately, Eve never got the chance to give voice to her answer, because the split second she looked away, she saw someone else. He blended into the crowd perfectly with his black business suit and bland looking tie that seemed to match his largely forgettable face. His ears, on the other hand, stuck out from his short hair and appeared oversized when compared to the rest of his body. He was pale, like he spent a great deal of time indoors. When Eve accidentally caught his eye, the room dimmed around her. 

She had just enough time to think ‘oh no, not again,’ before she was pulled under. 

The images came in quick succession: fire, buildings torn to smithereens, reports of casualties. Nakkia Ivanov, a demolition expert, known for his work in the Middle East. He took no sides, pledged no alliances; his only interest was the big paycheck at the end of a job. Images of Jacob Michelson began to filter in, and oh, that wasn’t good. A demolition expert working with an arms dealer could only mean one thing—trouble.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wanted to preface CH3 with a warning that there's some canon typical violence in this chapter. Other than that, happy Monday!

Someone was shaking her. There were sounds as well, but Eve couldn't make out what they were. It all sounded muffled, like she'd been pulled underwater and all the air had been forced from her lungs. She took deep, gasping breaths. Her heart pounded in her ears.

Then, like a fog lifting away, voices suddenly became crisper; Eve made out words, heard the scrape of a chair as someone stood up and the sound of a glass hitting the table. It was nearly overwhelming, now. All the voices bled into each other until one stood out.

"Eve, hey." Villanelle's voice was high with concern. "Are you okay?"

Eve looked at Villanelle, then looked toward Nakkia. He was making his way toward their table at a slow, leisurely pace, so as to not draw attention to himself. But he was closer, so much closer, and he hadn't taken his eyes off of Eve once. 

"Oh god. I have to get out of here right now." Eve reached for her purse, but her fingers were clumsy in her panic and it took a few tries to fully take hold. 

"What's going on?" Villanelle asked, suddenly looking more alert. "Are you leaving? This can't be the worst date you've ever been on."

"No time to explain. Come on." 

Villanelle hesitated. Eve couldn't blame her—she knew she looked unhinged, fine one minute and begging to leave the next—but she didn't have time to explain herself. She grabbed Villanelle's hand and tugged, pulling her off the chair and away from the man. Villanelle's hand was warm in hers. This time, Villanelle followed without protest. 

Eve knew it was a bad idea, but she did it anyway: she dared to look back, to risk precious seconds of escape in order to validate her suspicions. Nakkia glared at her and doubled his pace. 

"Shit!" With her free hand, Eve began to shove people out of the way. There were too many bodies between her and the exit. Villanelle, deciding to finally be useful, took the lead from Eve and rammed into anyone who didn't immediately clear a path for them. There were a few cries of alarm, but Eve ignored them all. 

The air was cooler outside. Eve wanted to stop and take in a breath, but she knew Nakkia was close behind them. Hand still clasped with Villanelle's, Eve started running. There was a moment of resistance as Eve pulled at her, but soon enough Villanelle was keeping pace beside her. It was less crowded outside, and the few people lingering on the sidewalks were easy to maneuver around.

They ran past stores closed for the evening, past bars as full as the one they’d left. Ahead of them, the crosswalk sign flickered to red, and cars passed through the busy intersection. Eve cursed under her breath and veered them off the main strip, onto a less busy road. 

They made it three more blocks before Villanelle slowed to a jog, tugging on Eve's hand and then letting go when Eve wouldn't stop. "God, Eve, slow down!" It was a mix of a whine and an order. Eve, in an attempt to keep their projection, tried to pull the woman forward.

"We can't stop," Eve insisted. "We have to keep going."

"Tell me what's going on."

Eve shrugged helplessly.

"I'm not taking another step unless you tell me."

Eve felt sick, torn between running and sticking around to save Villanelle. She'd dragged the other woman into this. Her strange behavior had attracted Nakkia to pursue them; she couldn't leave Villanelle, couldn't let her get hurt because of Eve.

"A man is chasing us. Chasing me. I think—I know—that he's done terrible things."

“Terrible things?” Villanelle laughed. “You made me run all this way because you think he’s done something bad?”

“He made a bomb that killed ten people last week.” 

Villanelle’s smile dropped. “Oh.” She finally took a small pause to process what Eve just said before she gestured to an alleyway a few feet back. "Okay well, let's go in there."

Eve shot her an incredulous look. "Into a dead end?"

"We can hide," Villanelle said. "Come on." 

Eve opened her mouth to protest, to say that she was pretty sure this was how people got murdered, hiding in alleyways like this, but Villanelle was already stepping into the dimly lit alley. 

Villanelle was right. With each step she took, she grew less and less noticeable. If Eve was walking by, she wouldn't notice Villanelle hiding in the shadows. Dazedly, Eve followed after her. 

The alley was narrow, wide enough to store a few trash containers and not much else. Something small and furry brushed against Eve’s shoe. She bit back a yelp. Villanelle waited for her at the back of the alley. Eve stepped in next to her, their shoulders brushing.

"Now what?" she asked. 

Villanelle's face was hard to see in the darkness, but Eve felt her shoulders move as she shrugged. "Now we wait."

Nice sweater be damned, Eve collapsed against the wall at her back. After running for so long, the cool brick behind her felt good. Sweat prickled at her brow, and she wiped it away with a not so steady hand.

"Do you think he followed us?" Eve asked as she squinted at the opening of the alleyway. 

A couple passed by, oblivious to Eve and Villanelle. Eve let out a shaky breath, tension easing from her body. 

"Hopefully," Villanelle said.

"What! What do you mean, ‘hopefully’? Are you insane?"

"Stay here," Villanelle said, ignoring Eve entirely. She started to step away, but a new figure stepped into the alley, his bulk cutting off what little light flooded into their hiding place. 

Eve whimpered when she recognized Nakkia. They were trapped. Why had she listened to Villanelle? She should have kept running or called the police or something other than listen to a stranger with a death wish. Now they were trapped and they were going to die.

Eve frantically dug into her purse, looking for her phone. Her hand closed around it and she pulled it out. 911. It was so simple and yet it was her final option. The police would be here any minute and they might be okay. Except her phone was dead. Of course it was, because this was the one moment she’d actually, truly  _ needed _ it. Murphy’s law was a bitch.

Villanelle walked toward Nakkia. He easily had one hundred pounds on her; Eve wasn't sure what Villanelle was planning to do when the odds were stacked so entirely against her, but Villanelle seemed way too calm. She stopped in front of him, hands on her hips. 

"Don't you know that it's rude to follow women?" Villanelle asked in a singsong voice. 

Nakkia only grunted. 

"You came all this way to find us, and you've got nothing to say for yourself?" 

"I'm not here for you," Nakkia said to Villanelle. He turned his attention to Eve, who shrunk under his gaze. "I know you're there. Come out or I'll hurt your friend here."

"Ha! You can try."

"Stop!" Eve shouted. "Don't hurt her." Even though her entire body was shaking, Eve stepped closer to the pair. "Please. What do you want?"

"Eve," Villanelle ordered, "stay where you are." 

Eve took another step closer. 

Villanelle groaned and reached for something in her pocket. "Would you just listen to me for one second? It's about to get messy and I don't need both of us covered in blood."

Eve stopped dead in her tracks. Had she really just said blood?

Nakkia lunged forward, fist aimed directly at Villanelle's head. Villanelle ducked just in time, a blur of movement that Eve couldn't keep track of. Nakkia righted himself and tried to grab Villanelle, but Villanelle was faster as she dodged his grip. Something glinted in her hand. She brought it forward and into his chest, then repeated the gesture. 

Nakkia’s hands came up to grip at his chest. His legs wobbled from the shock; he fell to his knees and would have fallen forward had Villanelle not caught him by his tie. An almost amused sigh escaped her lips as she held him there, listening to him choke for a moment, before shoving him backward. 

Villanelle followed him down, straddling his waist and stabbing him over and over again. The scene was one straight out of a nightmare, but the sounds were even worse: Nakkia’s groans turning into whimpers, the wet sound of the blade entering his body. 

Eve scrambled backward. She was going to throw up, and then she was going to die because Villanelle had her trapped in the alley. Eve keeled over, emptying her stomach. She placed a hand on the wall, steadying herself. 

Eve jumped when a wet hand settled onto her back. 

"It's just me," Villanelle said, like that was supposed to make her feel better, not more terrified. Something was off about her accent, now, a little looser around the edges. Chills ran up Eve's spine as she stiffened like a deer in headlights. 

"Get away from me," Eve groaned. She pushed herself up, swaying dangerously on her feet. Villanelle held her hands up in a placating gesture, but her eyes followed Eve's unsteady movements. 

"You're safe now," Villanelle said, and this time there was no mistaking the way she talked. Her voice was deeper now, just slightly, and she rolled her Rs like Vasiliev had done the other day. 

"No, I'm not! You just—god, who are you? What happened to your accent?"

"It was getting tiring. I hate the way you Americans phrase things." Villanelle stepped in front of Eve. Her suit jacket was covered with blood. Villanelle pushed forward, pinning Eve against the wall, one arm pressed lightly against Eve's throat. "Who do you work for?" The knife pressed against Eve's side. 

"I already told you! I work for the Buy More."

Villanelle sighed, her breath hot on Eve's cheek. "This would go a lot better for you if you told me. I'll make it less painful."

"I'm not lying! You wouldn't believe me if I told the truth!" More quietly, to herself, Eve said, "I don't even know if I would believe me."

"Try me," Villanelle said. She dropped the arm pressing against Eve's throat, but the knife remained firmly pressed into her side. 

Eve took in a breath, trying to figure out how to explain to Villanelle what was going on. There was no doubt in her mind that Villanelle would think she was insane if she told the truth, but what did she have to lose? No matter what she said, the odds of her leaving this alleyway alive seemed slim at best. But she wasn't sure she could admit what was happening out loud, especially when she hadn't admitted it to herself yet. 

She opened her mouth, intending to just blurt it out and deal with the consequences later, but what came out was, "I saw a picture of him." 

Villanelle removed the knife. "So you do have the USB."

With Villanelle no longer holding her up, Eve slumped over. She knew she should try to make a run for it, try to escape from this crazy person who just murdered a man in front of her, but unfortunately, Villanelle said the right thing to make Eve stay regardless of the consequences.

"How do you know about the USB?" She tried to play it cool, like this wasn't the most important thing in her world currently, but her voice sounded desperate even to her. Her heart pounded in her chest. She felt wild and breathless. Eve had known it was too good to be true. Someone like Villanelle wouldn't just waltz into her life without an ulterior motive. 

Villanelle tilted her head. Her eyes gleamed in the dim light. "How do you know about it?"

This time, Eve couldn't stop the truth spilling out of her lips. "I found it by mistake. I accidentally took someone else's bag."

"You expect me to believe that?"

Eve gaped at her. "It's true! We received a service call to go out to a hotel and fix their system. My coworker fixed it, and when we were leaving I forgot my bag. I ran back in to grab it, and I guess I grabbed the wrong bag."

Villanelle let out an incredulous laugh. "So you really do work for the Buy More."

Eve threw up her hands. "That's what I've been telling you this whole time!" 

Villanelle shrugged. "Okay, well, I didn't know that. We thought you were working for the NSA."

"We?” Eve paused. “Who do you work for?"

"Not the NSA obviously." Villanelle stuck her nose in the air. "They suck."

Eve was breathless with the possibilities. If Villanelle assumed she'd been working for an intelligence agency, then maybe she could get out of this alive. Maybe Villanelle had a reason for killing Nakkia. "Do you work for the FBI?" Silence. "The CIA?" Villanelle shot her a disbelieving look, so Eve quickly added, "The KGB?"

That, at least, got a reaction out of Villanelle. Not a good one, though. "Not all Russians work for the KGB,” she snapped, her tone as cold as ice. “Besides, if I told you who I really worked for, I'd have to kill you."

Eve's stomach bottomed out. She wasn't sure how she'd been that stupid. Villanelle just killed a man by stabbing him multiple times, and yet Eve had decided to stick around because answers were more important than her life. And now, she wasn't even sure she would live long enough to get what she wanted. She thought she might throw up again. 

Her vision grew blurry and for a split second she thought she might flash again, but no, the world around her was just as crisp. The alleyway still smelled of rotting trash. Sounds of conversation and traffic trickled into their hiding spot, quiet but still present. Unbidden, a tear trickled down Eve's cheek. So that’s what had caused her blurry vision; she was going to die with tears in her eyes.

"Oh my god, Eve, calm down. I was only joking." 

"Was it a joke to him?" She gestured wildly to the body lying on the ground mere feet from them. 

Villanelle glanced over, then back to Eve. "You said it yourself. He was a bad man."

“What does that make you?” 

“The person that just saved your life. You’re so ungrateful.”

“You want me to say thank you for saving my life after you just threatened it?”

“I already said I was joking.”

“Were you joking when you held me at knifepoint?”

Villanelle’s brow wrinkled as she thought about it. “I mean, a little?” She gave a small shrug of her shoulders.

Eve did the only thing she could: laugh. And once she started, she couldn’t stop. Her laughter echoed through the alleyway, loud and manic enough to draw the attention of any passerby. This couldn’t be real; this couldn’t be happening to her. She’d wake up any minute now and tell Elena about the craziest dream she’d ever had. 

Villanelle reached forward and covered Eve’s mouth. Eve gagged at the taste of blood. “Shut up. You’re going to draw attention to us.”

“What’s the point?” Eve asked, voice muffled by Villanelle’s palm. “This is all a dream.” Villanelle’s hand smelled of soap and the sharp metallic scent of blood.

Villanelle pulled her hand away. “This isn’t a dream. I need you to tell me where the USB is.”

“I don’t have it.” 

Villanelle stuck a hand in her pocket. Expecting her to pull out another weapon—a gun this time, maybe—Eve held up her hands and squeezed her eyes shut. 

She should have lied; she should have used the USB as a bargaining chip to make it out of this evening alive. It was quiet in the alley, though, which was almost worse than the sounds of a gun clicking into place. Eve opened one eye. Villanelle wasn’t even paying attention to her. 

Light filtered through Villanelle’s cupped hands. A phone. Villanelle had a phone. It was tilted away from Eve, so she studied Villanelle’s face instead. Blood dotted her cheeks; she must have tried wiping some away, because there was a line smeared from the corner of her eye to her hairline. She bit at her lip as she read whatever was on the screen. She typed a quick reply, and then all of her attention was focused back on Eve. 

“You don’t have to tell me. Konstantin will find it; he’s searching your apartment right now.”

“My apartment?” Eve repeated, not quite believing it.

Villanelle hummed an affirmative.

“How did you get my address?”

“Your driver’s license,” Villanelle said in a tone that made it seem like it was an obvious answer. “You really shouldn’t leave your purse lying around. You made it way too easy.” 

“Oh my god. Elena is home.”

Villanelle remained silent.

“My roommate...you didn’t hurt her, did you?” Her voice was shrill with panic. It was one thing to get herself involved in this, but another thing entirely to drag Elena in. 

“What? No.” Villanelle made a face. “We didn’t even know you had a roommate before tonight.” At Eve’s open-mouthed stare, Villanelle added, “It doesn’t matter either way. Konstantin said the apartment was dark when he went in. She probably went to bed. He has chloroform on him just in case he needs to knock her out, though.”

“And that’s better? You’re going to chloroform my roommate and you think that’s better?”

“Better than being dead, yeah. She’ll get over it.”

Eve squared her shoulders. “Tell him to leave. He’s not going to find the USB there. I got rid of it.”

“You did what?” Villanelle’s hands clamped around Eve’s arms tight enough to cut off circulation.

“I threw it away,” Eve said, all forced bravado leaving her voice. 

“You. Threw. It. Away?” Each word was punctuated with a shake. By the time Villanelle finished shaking her, they were nearly nose to nose. “You threw it away! Do you have any fucking idea how important that USB is?” 

“I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t know! Please just stop shaking me! I’ll talk!” Her voice was frantic. There would be bruises on her arms later, perfect matches to Villanelle’s hands. “It broke. Even if I’d kept it, it’s completely unusable. It destroyed my laptop; when I took the USB out, it was warped beyond use. It almost burned my apartment down!” 

And then Villanelle did something that surprised them both: she let Eve go. Her next words were slow and cautious. “You opened the USB. You recognized that man, didn’t you?” 

Heart in her throat, Eve nodded frantically.

“What else do you remember?”

And this was it. The moment they had unknowingly been building to all night. Eve had planned to take whatever was happening with her to her grave. Up until that evening, her deathbed had always seemed years and years away. Villanelle’s presence shortened that down to hours, if not minutes. Might as well make them count.

“It’s not so much remembering as it is...” Eve scratched her arm, trying to find the right words. “It’s like a download of information. Something triggers it. Like when I saw Nakkia the first time, something happened and all of a sudden I was seeing everything he’d done: his files, his work, his victims. Everything.”

Wide hazel eyes stared back at Eve. “Are you on drugs?”

Eve tilted her head, considering the question. “Did you put any in the champagne?”

“No.” 

“Then no.” She let a beat pass, just in case Villanelle had something else unhelpful to add. “And this isn’t the first time. I flashed—” Villanelle’s face immediately scrunched up as her eyes darted down to Eve’s chest. “—I’ve been calling it flashing, not the kind you’re thinking of, stop looking at me like that. Anyway, I flashed on the way here. My Uber driver was listening to the radio and I flashed. This morning, my coworker said something and set it off. It’s unpredictable...but...yes. I’ve seen everything on that USB. So that means you can’t kill me, right?”

Villanelle took a moment to process everything that Eve had just said. She seemed to give an annoyed sigh before turning on her heel. “We need to talk to Konstantin. Immediately.” Villanelle walked away, phone already in hand to presumably contact Konstantin again. Eve didn’t follow.

Villanelle turned back. “Come on, Eve.” 

“I’m not going anywhere with you. I want to go home.”

“You don’t have a choice.”

“So you’re kidnapping me?”

“I wouldn’t call it kidnapping. You’re not a child, even though you’re acting like one.”

“Excuse me for freaking out about you threatening my life after murdering someone in front of me!” Eve snapped.

“Okay, well, do you want me to threaten you again? You were much better at listening when I was holding a knife.”

Eve’s shoulders slumped. “No. That’s uh, not necessary. I’ll go with you.”

“Great! You can drive. I rented a car.”

“So not to keep pointing out the obvious, but...” Eve pointed in the direction of the corpse. Blood soaked through his clothing and had already begun to pool from under him. His suit jacket was filled with holes where the knife had gone through. “Are you just going to leave him here?”

“Yes?” Villanelle said, sounding incredibly confused. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“Isn’t your DNA all over him?”

Villanelle shrugged. “I stabbed him like thirty times, so yeah, probably.”

Eve hated her. She hated that Villanelle made her sound dumb for asking what was an obvious question. “Which is bad,” Eve said slowly, trying to see the reasoning behind Villanelle’s thought process. Weren’t serial killers supposed to try to hide the body or something?

“I mean, yeah, it might be if a civilian found him.” Villanelle waved her phone at Eve. “But we have a cleanup team for a reason.” Her phone lit up with an incoming text message. “Can we leave now? Konstantin texted an address.”

“You’re covered in blood.”

“What?” Villanelle looked down. “Oh.” She took off her blazer, using the back of it to wipe at her hands and face. “Better?”

Eve pointed to Villanelle’s neck, where a spray of blood had landed. Villanelle wiped at the spot and then held the blazer out to Eve. “Can you put this in your purse? I have a really great dry cleaner back home. You wouldn’t believe the stains she can get out.”

Begrudgingly, Eve put the piece of clothing in her purse. While Villanelle might be able to salvage her blazer, Eve’s purse was ruined. 

Villanelle was already at the lip of the alley. When Eve approached, Villanelle held out an arm. “So you don’t escape,” Villanelle said by way of explanation. And despite every fiber of her being screaming at her not to, Eve looped her arm through Villanelle’s. 

To the rest of the world, it looked like they were two women who were simply enjoying themselves on a date. If only that were true. 


	4. Chapter 4

“Get off at the next exit,” Villanelle said.

Eve cursed loudly. “Why didn’t you say something sooner?” She cursed again and then glanced in the rearview mirror. Traffic was lighter than usual moving away from downtown, but it would be next to impossible to get over three lanes in time for the next exit. 

Without turning on her blinker, Eve swerved into the next lane, forcing the car behind them to slam on his brakes.

Two lanes to go. Villanelle muttered something in another language. Eve glanced over. Villanelle, a little paler than usual, had a death grip on the handle.

“Eyes on the road,” Villanelle said.

Eve made sure to keep her head turned in Villanelle’s direction for as long as possible. She might be there against her will, but she had all the power currently and they both knew it. She was going to make sure that Villanelle regretted taking her captive. She briefly entertained the idea of going to the police station, but that would require knowledge of the surrounding area or a working phone. Unfortunately, she had neither.

When Eve finally turned her attention back to the road, Villanelle exhaled shakily beside her. Eve counted to ten before she changed lanes again, violently jerking on the wheel. They really were running out of time to get into the exit lane, but getting a rise out of Villanelle was too hard to pass up.

“Eve. I need you to stop freaking out. I’m not going to kill you while you’re driving; it would hurt both of us and I don’t plan on dying today. Can you please just focus on the road? You’re making me car sick.”

Now that she mentioned it, Villanelle was looking a little green around the edges.

So Eve played nice. She didn’t move the car over one more lane. Which, incidentally, made them miss the exit. Villanelle groaned as Google maps rerouted them.

“Did you know who I was when you came into the Buy More?” Eve asked even though she already knew the answer.

“Uh, yeah. Do I look like the type of person who would shop at a Buy More?”

“Well, no, but you weren’t shopping. How is your phone screen holding up, anyway? That was my first time repairing a screen by myself.”

“Shitty. I threw it away.” Villanelle jabbed a finger at the window. “Take this exit.”

Gentler this time, Eve maneuvered them into the exit lane. Even she was starting to feel a little carsick, and that was saying something. 

“Liar. I just saw you use your phone.”

“Eve, don’t be obtuse.”

“What?”

“You don’t know what obtuse means? They say the American education system is bad, but wow, Eve. I expected better from you. It means—”

Eve cut her off. “I know what obtuse means.”

“Do you really think I would break my phone just to have an excuse to meet you?”

Eve thought for a moment and then gasped when the answer came to her. “You stole someone’s phone!”

“Mm.” Villanelle glanced at her phone. “Turn right at the next light.” A single beat later and Villanelle was already right back on topic. “Is it really stealing if the person is dead?”

Eve’s head whipped around to look at Villanelle. “That’s even worse!”

“Yeah, well, I wasn’t about to just hand you my phone. And it’s not like he was going to use it.”

“You don’t even fish, do you.” Eve should have known something was peculiar about the background. The more she learned about Villanelle, the less likely it seemed that Villanelle would enjoy anything about that hobby. Did she even have hobbies? Was killing considered a hobby?

Villanelle huffed out a laugh. “Obviously not. I can’t believe you were dumb enough to fall for it.” She switched to her American accent, pitched high and mocking. “Fishing is my passion!”

Eve gripped the steering wheel hard enough to leave half-moon marks on the leather. She hoped the rental company charged Villanelle with an astronomical fee to fix it. 

“Shut up. I hate you.”

“Do you?”

“Yes.”

Villanelle stuck out her bottom lip. Her pout looked as sincere as a knockoff Mona Lisa. Nearly perfect at a distance, but if you looked too closely you saw all the flaws. Eve snorted and shook her head, not buying it for one second.

The corner of Villanelle’s mouth twitched. “You shouldn’t insult the person who just saved your life.”

“I wouldn’t have been in danger if you hadn’t dragged me out tonight.”

Villanelle rolled her eyes. “Left here.” 

Eve sighed and got in the turn lane. The street sign above the traffic lights read Mariner’s Way. The hum of the engine filled up the moment of silence. 

Villanelle toyed with the door handle as she said, “I had to make sure you were out of your apartment.”

Eve’s stomach dropped. In the back of her mind, she’d already known that Villanelle hadn’t actually been interested in her, but that didn’t make it hurt any less.

Quickly schooling her expression into something more neutral, Eve said, “I know where we’re going, so you can stop giving me directions.”

“How? Did you flash or something?” Villanelle asked.

Eve pulled a very familiar U-turn. “No, but I was here yesterday. I thought spies were supposed to meet in more exciting places.”

“This isn’t a movie,” Villanelle said. “We can’t always meet in dimly lit parking garages.”

“Because a hotel parking lot is so much better.”

The Peaceful Gardens Hotel was more crowded that evening. Eve parked at the back of the parking lot, leaving an open space between their car and the next. A hand on Eve’s arm stopped her from getting out of the vehicle. The touch was light, but Villanelle had pressed down at the same spot she’d grabbed earlier. Eve winced at the contact.

“We’ll wait here for Konstantin.”

They didn't have to wait long. Not even five minutes passed by before a black suburban pulled into the parking lot. Villanelle leaned over and honked the horn a few times, causing the other driver to slam on their brakes. The other driver waved a fist at Villanelle's antics, but then the car reversed and pulled in next to them. 

"Come on!" Villanelle said before unbuckling her seat belt and hurling herself out of the car. She had the energy of a twelve-year-old who had just consumed two espressos and a bag full of candy. It was hard to wrap her head around this image of Villanelle, who was literally bouncing to the other car, with the look from earlier. The sick accomplished smile of a killer. Eve wasn't sure if either was better than the other; both were equally terrifying.

Eve slowly got out of the car, noting right away that with Villanelle on the opposite side of the car, she might be able to make a run for it. Part of her wanted to, but now curiosity was getting the best of her. In the time it took her to shut the car door and trudge over to Villanelle, the other person had already joined their group and was talking quietly with Villanelle. 

Eve caught the last bits of his question to Villanelle.

"...was too urgent to talk about over the phone?"

Villanelle turned to Eve, her face serious for once. "Eve, tell him what you told me."

The man turned to face Eve. "Ah."

Eve forced an awkward smile as she immediately recognized him. "Hi."

"Eve Polastri," Konstantin Vasiliev said. "I wish we were meeting again under more pleasant circumstances."

Eve barked out a laugh. "You have no idea." She quickly sobered up when she realized where Konstantin had come from. With all that was happening, she almost forgot about Elena. "But I'm not saying anything until I know Elena is okay."

"Elena?" Konstantin asked, looking at Villanelle. 

"The roommate," Villanelle supplied. She kicked at the tire of Konstantin's car as though she was bored.

"She's fine," Konstantin said, ignoring Villanelle entirely. "She slept the whole time I was there."

God bless Elena and her ability to sleep through anything. Eve felt some of the tension melt from her body. Even if she wasn't going to live beyond her encounter with Villanelle, at least Elena would be okay.

"Your turn," Konstantin prompted her. 

"Uh." Eve looked to Villanelle for guidance.

"Tell him about the USB."

Konstantin's face brightened. "You found it?"

Eve scratched at the back of her head. "Oh. Um, not exactly. I...threw it away?"

Konstantin muttered something in a different language. Then, louder and in English, "You made me drive twenty minutes just so you could tell me that the USB is gone?"

Villanelle rolled her eyes. "No, obviously not."

"Then what, Villanelle. What could possibly be so fucking important? I'm all ears."

"The USB is gone, but that's okay because she downloaded it to her brain."

Konstantin looked like someone had just told him pigs could fly. "What? You're telling me that she has the USB in her brain?"

"It's true." Eve sighed. "And I'll explain as long as you promise to not kill me."

Konstantin's brow furrowed. "Nobody is going to kill you. Who told you—" He broke off mid-question and turned to Villanelle. "What did you do?"

Villanelle held a hand up in front of her mouth, feigning shock. "I didn't do anything!"

"You have blood on your face."

"Nosebleed?" Villanelle offered by way of explanation even though the blood was nowhere near her nose. She gestured at Eve. "You should be asking her questions, not me."

Eve shifted her weight from foot to foot. “Before I tell you, I want you to know that I’m not crazy. It’s going to sound like I’m crazy, but everything is true. Villanelle can corroborate.” 

Konstantin nodded curtly. It was lackluster at best, but Eve hadn’t expected more. For all Konstantin knew, Eve was working for the other side—whoever that was, since Villanelle still hadn’t told her who she worked for.

“First of all, I’m sorry I took your bag. Really, really sorry, mostly for myself, because now I’m here with you two.”

Konstantin crossed his arms. A few seconds later, Villanelle mirrored his gesture, looking wholly impressed with Eve’s last minute bravado.

“Okay...” Eve took in a shaky breath, shoulders slumping. 

Eve told him everything: how she’d only meant to use the USB to find his contact information, how the .exe program had destroyed her laptop, how she had started flashing on people and places. Her entire life had changed overnight, and yet it only took a few minutes to summarize what had happened over the course of the day. She left out anything related to Villanelle, who was more than capable of filling in her side of the story.

When she finished, Konstantin shook his head in disbelief.

“You don’t believe me,” Eve said. 

“No, I do.” Konstantin scratched at his beard. “I just don’t know what I’m going to do with this. That’s all.” He let out a bark of a laugh. “You’ll have to give me a moment to process that you downloaded government secrets into your brain.”

Villanelle went back to kicking the wheel of the car. Konstantin waved a hand at her. “Stop that. I need quiet to think.”

“She didn’t even tell you the good part,” Villanelle said.

“Oh?” Eve asked. As far as she was aware, there hadn’t been a good part.

“About the man you stopped tonight.”

The heat drained from Eve’s face. “You mean the part where you killed someone?”

Konstantin glared at Villanelle. “You did what?”

“He was a bad man! Eve said so. Right, Eve?” She looked imploringly at Eve. 

And Villanelle had her there. Eve ran a hand through her hair. “Uh, yeah. He came into the bar and I flashed on him. He is—was—a demolition expert, responsible for the deaths of ten people last week and hundreds before.”

“And now he’s no longer a threat, so you should be saying thank you, Konstantin. God, you’re so ungrateful.”

Konstantin tilted his head. “How many other times have you flashed, Eve?”

“Twice more. The first time it happened, my coworker mentioned the SPIE conference. The second, I was listening to the radio and I flashed on General Taylor Grant.”

Konstantin pinched the bridge of his nose. “That’s not good.”

Eve looked between the two of them. Villanelle’s face was carefully blank, but Konstantin looked like he was fending off a headache. “What do you mean that’s not good?”

“It means that...” Konstantin sighed again, resting his hands on his hips. “I’m going to break a lot of rules telling you this, so I’m only going to say it once and then we’re never going to talk about it again. Okay? This is classified information and I’m only telling you this because I think you can help.”

Eve nodded. 

“We were investigating a credible threat made on General Grant. We believe something is set in motion and will happen during the closing ceremony.”

Suddenly it all made sense. The three times Eve had flashed, it had all seemed so chaotic and unconnected. But now...

“That’s not true,” Eve said. “Yes, there’s a threat, but it’s not happening at the closing ceremony. It’s happening tonight. Something is going to happen when—”

Then, as if out of nowhere, an entirely new man stepped in between Villanelle and Konstantin while slowly and scornfully clapping. “When the General finishes her speech. Yes, good job. I thought you’d figure that out sooner, but at least you got there in the end, thanks to this civilian.” 

Unlike Villanelle or Konstantin, he had a British accent. He had a stocky build and red hair that seemed nearly brown in the dim lights of the parking lot. 

Eve opened her mouth to ask who in the world this newcomer was, but before she so much as took a breath, Villanelle drew a gun from her hip and pointed it at the man. Seconds later, Konstantin had his own drawn as well.

Eve knew she’d been carrying a gun. She felt triumphant at her confirmed suspicion until she realized that Villanelle could have used it on Nakkia, but she’d chosen to stab him instead. What sort of person would choose the messier way to kill someone? Not a good person, that’s who.

“That’s a bit overkill, isn’t it?” The newcomer said. “I don’t even have my gun out.”

“Raymond.” Konstantin said his name like it was a curse.

“Hello, Konstantin. I wish I could say that it’s nice to see you.”

“It’s been a long time.” 

“Not long enough,” Villanelle threw in. “NSA scum.” For good measure, she spit on the ground mere inches from his feet.

Raymond tutted. “Now why don’t you go ahead and put away the gun.”

Villanelle did the exact opposite. She pressed the gun into his temple. 

Raymond rolled his eyes. Had Eve been in his place, she was certain she would have acted very differently, especially after realizing what Villanelle was capable of. 

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he said, sounding entirely too smug for a man on the wrong end of a gun. 

Villanelle bared her teeth.

Raymond placed his hands on the back of his head in mock surrender and then looked at Eve.

“What are you doing?” Villanelle asked.

“Waiting,” Raymond replied. A moment passed. “Ah, there we go.”

Villanelle did a double-take at Eve’s forehead. “Eve, get down. Get down right now!” 

Eve dropped to the asphalt just in time to hear the unmistakable whizz of an object slicing through the empty air her head had just occupied. Her knees slammed into the ground; she lost her balance, then caught herself on her palms. She let out a string of cuss words. First her arms, now her knees. She’d be black and blue by the end of the night, assuming she lived that long. There were pebbles lodged into her palms. Warm wetness trickled down her wrists as she lifted her arms to inspect her hands.

“What the fuck are you doing!” Villanelle was shouting at Raymond. 

“Did you really think I would come alone? Try that again, Villanelle, and next time my sniper won’t miss.”

Raymond looked down at Eve. "You can get up now."

Eve remained where she was and instead looked to Villanelle for confirmation. Oh, how the tables had turned. She almost wanted to laugh. Villanelle may have killed a man in front of her, but at least she hadn't fired a bullet aimed at her head. 

Konstantin lowered his gun. Villanelle sent him a look of betrayal, but he shook his head minutely. "We won't shoot," he promised, much to Villanelle's horror. 

"I'm not promising anything," she said, her words sharp. She continued to hold the gun out in front of her. Konstantin pressed a hand to her arm, forcing her to lower it. Villanelle glowered at him, then at Raymond who chuckled at the sight. The sound grated on Eve’s ears. 

"Villanelle,” Konstantin said, “we're hardly in a position to argue." To Raymond, he said, "Call off your sniper."

"Put your guns on the ground," Raymond retorted.

"So Eve can shoot you?" Villanelle asked.

Eve gaped up at her, but Villanelle's full attention never left Raymond.

"We both know Eve isn’t capable of shooting anyone. Turn the safety on and set them down." 

Konstantin pried the gun out of Villanelle's hands, then set both guns on the ground in front of him. "Your turn," Konstantin said through clenched teeth. 

Raymond raised a fist into the air. "Done. They won't shoot as long as you two behave. Eve, you can get up now."

"You know my name?" Eve asked. Villanelle reached a hand out to help Eve up, but she batted it away, not willing to show any more weakness. Her knees throbbed as she drew herself up to her full height.

"Did you really think that Villanelle and Konstantin were the only ones following you?" He gestured to her head. "We also know what you have in that brain of yours. And while you may not know how valuable it is, we do."

"But you shot at her anyway." Konstantin’s face was red with anger. 

"I was never going to hurt her," Raymond said. "I just needed your full cooperation. We would have been stuck in an endless loop if I hadn't taken control of the situation. I know you're not aware, but time is of the essence tonight."

Eve was starting to realize why Villanelle hated the NSA so much. "You have it," she said when nobody else spoke up. "Though next time I'd prefer not to be shot at, thanks."

Raymond raised an eyebrow at her. "You're not the one I'm concerned about. It's her." He tilted his head toward Villanelle, who looked like she was refraining herself from strangling Raymond. “She’s unpredictable.”

"Villanelle, please, let's hear what Raymond has to say."

Villanelle shrugged. "Fine. but I'm going to shoot him when we're done."

"You can most certainly try," Raymond said, not sounding the least bit afraid of Villanelle's rather credible threat. He pulled himself up straighter and turned to Eve. "You were correct earlier when you said something was going to happen tonight. We need to leave very soon, or otherwise, we won't make it in time."

"In time for what?" Konstantin asked.

Eve swallowed heavily as the realization came to her. A smirk spread across Raymond's face as he took in her expression. "Good. You figured it out."

"What is it, Eve?" Villanelle asked. 

"Nakkia wasn't working alone. I think someone else attending that conference brought him here." She thought back to the first time she'd flashed. "Jacob Michelson. He's an arms dealer. It's a little out of his wheelhouse, but maybe he's working with a client. Nakkia wouldn't have gone into a bar without already closing a deal. All the information I have indicates that he's meticulous. He wouldn't be out celebrating unless..." She looked toward Raymond, aghast. "He already created a bomb. Oh god, what time is it?"

He calmly brought his wrist up to look at his watch. “Nearly eight o’clock.”

Eve thought back to the schedule. “The General should be taking the stage in just a few minutes. Her speech is approximately forty-five minutes, but they have her schedule for an hour time block.”

Raymond nodded. “If we leave now, we’ll have just enough time to locate the bomb and defuse it using that brain of yours.”

The world slowed to a halt as Eve processed Raymond’s words. She looked to Villanelle for reassurance, but Villanelle’s face was an unyielding mask.

“I don’t understand,” she murmured, if only to buy herself more time. “Shouldn’t you be clearing people out of the conference if there’s a credible bomb threat? You’re just letting all those people sit there, unaware that there’s a bomb set to go off in less than an hour?”

“We have people in place should we need to evacuate the building,” Raymond retorted rather briskly. “But we’ve been tracking Jacob Michelson for months now. He’s nearly impossible to find, and completely untouchable when we do find him. We know where he’s staying, and we don’t want to spook him into fleeing the country again. This is our only chance.”

“But that doesn’t make any sense. Why would he care about this conference? What made him go from being exclusively an arms dealer to...well, this?”

“General Grant put a target on her head with her latest actions in the Middle East, and someone is willing to pay a lot of money to see her dead.” Raymond tapped at the side of his brain. “Shouldn’t that all be up in there?”

“No,” Eve said. “It doesn’t work like that. I don’t magically know everything, and I definitely don’t know how to defuse a bomb.” 

Her hands were clammy at the thought. Without thinking, she rubbed them off on her pants, then bit back a yelp as her scraped up palms made contact with the fabric. It was too much. This was all too much and the reminder of what had happened only minutes ago tipped her over the edge. She started laughing. The laughter quickly turned hysterical and she couldn’t stop no matter how hard she tried.

Villanelle slapped her across the cheek. 

It was enough to startle her out of her uncontrollable laughter. Eve pressed the tips of her fingers to her cheek.

“Was that really necessary?” Konstantin asked Villanelle.

“It got her to stop, so yes.”

“I’m right here,” Eve snapped. “And I’d appreciate not getting injured for five seconds. How am I going to explain any of this to Elena? I have cuts and bruises everywhere. She thought I was going out on a date.”

“Really rough sex?” Villanelle offered. At Eve’s unamused glare, she added, “I’m sure you’ll come up with something by yourself.”

Ignoring Villanelle, Eve turned to Raymond. “Look, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have laughed, but what you’re asking me to do is impossible. I work at an electronics store. I’m not even qualified for the job I have there, and you want me to defuse a bomb?”

“I’m not asking you. You’re going to do it, and that thing inside your brain is going to help.”

“I don’t know how to control it. God, I never asked for any of this! I wish I could help, I really do, but you need to call in your evacuation team.”

“Again, you don’t get to say no,” Raymond said. “Whether you like it or not, we need to leave right now. We can go over the plan in detail in the car.” Turning his gaze to Konstantin, Raymond continued in his much more curt tone. “My team, minus my sniper, is already at the convention center. I know you don’t always like how we do things, but I’m sure you’ll agree that whatever our differences, we need to set them aside temporarily in order to do our jobs.”

“Agreed.” Konstantin’s response came with a single nod, and then there was a flurry of activity as everyone packed into Konstantin’s black suburban. Eve was unceremoniously pushed into the back, with Villanelle scrambling in beside her. Before they had even buckled in, the car was pulling out of the parking lot and onto Mariner’s Way.

“It’s okay to be scared,” Villanelle said quietly. “I know it doesn’t seem like it right now, but what you’re doing is very brave. When this is all over, we’ll explain as much as we can.” 

Her fingers brushed against the back of Eve’s hand. Eve snatched her hand away, but she couldn’t help the way her heart skipped a beat at the touch.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Monday!

The convention center was a sprawling, massive building that stood right at the edge of the bay. Eve had been in the area a few times, but had never actually gone into the convention center itself. There was a great bakery just around the corner that Elena had dragged her to during one of her first few weeks living in the area. Back then, Eve had still been knee deep in her divorce proceedings with Niko, so she hadn't really been able to soak the beauty of the rose tinted sun as it shone down across the palm trees, sailboats, and the blue, chilly water. Unfortunately, this late at night, the convention center flooded the area with light, fooling the eye into seeing only murky darkness behind the massive building. 

Traffic hadn’t let up in the slightest, but the suburban came equipped with a siren and lights that Raymond seemed more than happy to make liberal use of as soon as they hit the city proper. Raymond had stressed the importance of going under the radar, so it seemed unusual to draw attention to themselves in such a loud way. Eve, had of course considered pointing it out, but everyone else in the car appeared to act as if it were completely normal—as if any of this could be. 

Once they got to the convention center, Eve understood. There were a dozen cars parked around the building, all with lights on. They weren't there because of a threat, but to direct traffic. With nearly 30,000 guests, of course the police force would be required. Using their lights and siren finally made sense. To someone watching, it would be more suspicious for a Government-issued car to try to avoid detection.

Raymond's team met them at the northmost entrance to the convention center, just inside the doors and away from any prying eyes. From there, they split up further. Raymond and Konstantin traveled on foot to the hotel just across the street, where they had a confirmed sighting of Jacob Michelson, who had booked a suite on the upper floors under a false name. 

Villanelle lingered behind with Eve.

The whole evening felt surreal, even more so when Villanelle rubbed her hands together and said in an entirely too enthusiastic voice, “Let’s go find a bomb!” 

They could have been in one of Kenny’s video games. Eve was certain he’d talked about a similar scenario once, back when they still made small talk in the Nerd Herd vehicle. At least in a video game there weren’t any real repercussions. 

The remaining half of Raymond’s team didn’t share Villanelle’s enthusiasm. Their faces remained serious even as Villanelle’s face lit up with delight. It made Eve feel better to know that there were still some normal people in the world, ones who weren’t looking forward to encountering said bomb.

One of them stepped forward. “Ma’am, we need to move,” he said, and Eve realized he was talking to her. Ma’am, really? God, she felt old. “We have several agents on patrol, but we haven’t seen anything unusual. Raymond said you could locate the threat.”

Eve looked helplessly back at Villanelle. Not only did she have to disarm it, she had to find it now too? There was no point arguing with these men, not when Raymond hadn’t listened, so instead she stood a little straighter and said, “Okay.”

The first time she’d flashed on the SPIE convention, she’d seen blueprints of the building. The first floor contained the largest conference room, which had been turned into a makeshift dining room for the evening’s opening ceremony. The General would be halfway through her speech by now, which meant they were running out of time. 

Unfortunately, whatever program she’d downloaded into her brain hadn’t come equipped with a compass. Beyond knowing they’d come in through the northern entrance, she was clueless as to their location. 

“Which way is the main conference room?” She asked the nearest agent. He wore a generic black t-shirt with the word security stamped in bright white lettering. His fellow agents were dressed similarly, though a few wore vests over their shirts. “That’s as good a place as any to start.”

She was quickly escorted down a flight of stairs and across one large, seemingly never-ending hallway that branched into smaller corridors. It was eerie seeing how empty the hallways were, and Eve soon realized why Raymond wasn’t as panicked at the thought of evacuating the building as she was. 

Despite the conference center’s impressive four stories, only the first was currently in use, and even most of that was a ghost town. They didn’t encounter another person until they were nearly at the main conference room where few attendees were making small talk outside of the restrooms. There were nearly twenty doors in total leading into the conference room, and clearly marked exit signs were not even twenty feet from them. Eve breathed a sigh of relief.

“We’re here,” the agent said. “Now what?”

Eve realized he was still talking to her. “Oh. Uh, let me think.”

Villanelle stepped close but didn’t reach out. “If I was using a bomb, I wouldn’t make it easy to find.”

“What does that even mean?” Eve asked tensely. “Isn’t that obvious?” 

“Yes, Eve, but you’re the one who brought us to the most obvious location.” She gestured to the group of agents. “If the bomb was here, don’t you think one of them would have found it? The NSA sucks, but they’re not dumb enough to miss a bomb.”

Eve thought back to the schematics, but nothing seemed to work. There were too many rooms, too many places for something to hide. “I don’t know,” she said. “I don’t know and we’re running out of time. Please, Villanelle. We need to evacuate the building.”

Villanelle sighed and then forced a smile. “Eve, I really need you to flash right now so you can stop being so annoying.”

“I can’t just do it on command!”

“I’ve read your file,” Villanelle said. “I know you’re smart, so stop acting like this is impossible. If you can’t flash, then use your brain. You have all the information.”

Eve paused. “I have a file?”

“Everyone has a file.”

Eve wanted to ask what hers said, whether it showed that she was blacklisted from any government position after what had happened at her last job. And oh, wasn’t that ironic. The government not trusting her with their secrets, and now here she was, with more secrets than she would have seen in a lifetime working her old job. 

“According to the schematics,” Eve said slowly, “the conference room is two stories, which means that if a bomb were to be planted, it would have to be on the third story.”

“We’ve already checked that area,” one of the agents quickly countered. “We cleared it and stationed agents at each of the exits. Nobody could have gotten in without us noticing.”

“Okay. What about beneath us?”

There was a sprawling underground parking lot. While it might be difficult to smuggle a bomb into the convention center, it would be easy to transport it with a vehicle. And assuming they parked directly beneath the main conference room, the bomb could do massive damage not only to the main portion of the building, but if it destroyed the integrity of the building, it could bring the whole thing crashing down. Instinctively, Eve knew that’s what Nakkia had planned for. Jacob Michelson wouldn’t make a point of viewing a minor explosion; if he was here, it meant that this was going to be colossal. 

The agent hesitated for a split second, and that was all Eve needed. “We need to go there right now.”

And then she did something that surprised them all—she took off at a sprint. She wasn’t thinking, just relying on the information provided by her flash. The agents followed closely behind. While they had tried to maintain an air of discretion, Eve knew it was time to abandon it. 

Raymond may have known about the bomb, but even he couldn’t have predicted how bad it was. 

The stairs down to the parking lot were rough concrete, and while the convention center was air conditioned, the parking lot was not. The air was stuffy and overly humid, and all at once Eve felt overheated in her sweater. 

A wave of despair washed over her as they finally breached the parking lot. There were too many cars to search; there was no way they’d find the bomb in time. She should have known that the parking garage would be just as sprawling as the convention center on top of it. She couldn’t even see the far wall where it ended, just row upon row of cars.

“Where to now?” Villanelle asked. She stood beside Eve, slightly out of breath from the sprint downstairs. Her perfect hair was now disheveled, and her suit jacket hung off one shoulder. The other agents looked slightly more composed, though the panic on their faces was all too real.

“I...” Eve sucked in a breath. “We need to find the rows that are directly underneath the conference room, preferably closer to the eastern side where the podium is located. He would have put it there. Look for load bearing pillars.”

And with that, they were off again. Since they’d taken the stairs down near the conference room, it was only a few short rows before they reached the correct location. Without consulting Eve, the agents split up while Villanelle stayed by her side. She’d managed to fix her blazer, but her hair was frazzled from the parking lot’s humidity.

“Come on,” Eve said, surprising herself. Maybe Raymond was right. Maybe she really could do this. She’d gotten them this far. And if her instinct so far was wrong? Well, she didn’t want to think about that.

They passed by convertibles and SUVs and sedans until they all started to bleed together. None of them stood out. Eve made sure to glance at each one, hoping to flash on the license plate, but each time she was disappointed. There were agents combing the same row as her, peering into the backs of cars and shouting the all clear to each other. 

Eve hadn’t understood the conference room’s scale until she was beneath it. The room was meant to house tens of thousands of guests. They would be searching for ages.

She turned to Villanelle, uncertain. If the bomb went off, it wouldn’t just destroy the convention center. They couldn’t evacuate in time, not with something like this. It was hopeless. 

Then, as if by sheer luck, a van caught her eye. She frowned, then took a step closer. 

Vaughn’s Flowers, the side of the van said. The script was an elegant cursive, with roses crossed underneath. Something felt off, but Eve couldn’t put her finger on it. And then it happened. She flashed, and for once, it was a relief.

Vaughn’s Flowers, founded by a John Smith, was a money laundering company. That’s not all they did, though—Eve saw flashes of imported weapons and arrest records for some of the employees and oh god, Nakkia had worked with them a few years ago, back when his criminal record only included arson. 

Within an instant, she was shouting and running toward the back of the van, trying unsuccessfully to pry open the doors. Villanelle was by her side almost immediately, and the agents not long after. She felt winded, breathless. When the doors were successfully pried open and Eve laid eyes on the bomb, she flashed again. 

Her nose itched. Eve wiped at it, and her hand came away wet with blood. That probably wasn’t good. Her head spun as she reached forward and began to work. It was an out of body experience; her hands moved like they had a will of their own. It was both thrilling and terrifying. Despite being able to feel the wires move and unwind between her fingertips, it was as if she wasn’t at all responsible for her actions, like someone or something else was controlling her. 

It wasn’t until she’d pulled one of the wires loose from their tangled web that the world came back into focus. She jerked her hand back like she’d been shocked. The countdown flickered once and then turned black. It was at that very moment that Eve began to truly process those numbers and how little time they’d really had and suddenly she was puking all over her shoes. Someone was yelping and yup, even without seeing it herself, Eve knew that was definitely Villanelle making that noise. And oops, yes, she may have accidentally gotten some vomit on her shoes, too. She kind of deserved it, though.

It was mostly a blur, after. Agents pushed her aside as they dealt with the disarmed bomb. Villanelle disappeared, then reappeared, shoes looking cleaner. She brought Eve a bottle of water. Eve sat curled up against the pillar, watching as more and more agents flooded the parking garage. She wasn’t sure where to go now. 

General Grant should have concluded her speech a while ago. There should have been a mass of convention guests flooding down into the parking garage to retrieve their cars and leave for the evening. Instead of well-dressed convention goers, Eve only saw people wearing uniforms. Cops, agents, dogs.

The air, already stuffy, became too much for Eve. She needed to be outside. 

Villanelle followed her. She might have been saying something, and based on the look on her face, she wasn’t too thrilled about Eve not responding, but Eve just didn’t have the energy anymore. Her head pounded and she just wanted to go home. She may have voiced that opinion to Villanelle, who was shaking her head in response.

Not too long after, Raymond and Konstantin joined them. There was arguing. Through all the static, Eve heard her name, though she wasn’t being addressed. The guests were beginning to leave the convention center now, a distraction Eve was more than happy to use to slip away.

Unfortunately, with a dead cell phone, she wasn’t going to get very far. In fact, she didn’t even know where she’d left her purse. In Villanelle’s car, perhaps, which was way back at the hotel. With severely limited options, she found herself wandering behind the convention center where she found a jogging path that ran directly parallel to the bay. Thankfully, it was deserted this late at night, minus a few homeless people curled up on the benches, but they left Eve alone as she wandered past. 

She wandered until she finally got to a beach. She couldn’t see them, but she could hear the waves lapping against the shore. It was a gentle sound, thanks to the inlet breaking the stronger current. More than anything tonight, the sound was soothing and ever present. Eve nearly collapsed onto the sand. Every part of her body ached.

In that moment of relative quiet, she closed her eyes and focused on the waves. 

She must have drifted to sleep. Sand was everywhere: in her hair, coating the back of her shirt, in her shoes. It was still dark out; Eve wasn’t certain how much time had passed. 

“Eve,” a voice said, and Eve just about jumped out of her skin. “I’m not going to hurt you.” Konstantin appeared at her side. “Can I join you?” 

“How did you find me?” Eve asked.

Konstantin settled in next to her. “You can’t take off like that. It’s not safe.”

“Do you have a tracker on me?” Eve patted at her hair, but only found more sand. “Villanelle said she didn’t put anything into the champagne.”

“No,” Konstantin said, exasperated. “We’re not tracking you. Though if I were to guess, I would say that Raymond put a bug on your phone.”

Eve cursed under her breath, then fell back, pillowing her head with her arms. “I’m exhausted. I just want to go home.”

Eve just barely made out the frown on Konstantin’s face. The path behind them was well lit, with palms interspersed between street lamps, but Eve had walked so close to the water that if she’d slept for any longer, the tide would have crept up and gotten her feet wet. 

The dim lights cast long shadows on Konstantin’s face. “I know. I wish I could let you.”

“Am I your prisoner?” Eve asked. Her heart pounded at the thought. Would she ever see Elena again? She might not miss her job or the life she’d made here, but she would at least miss her best friend.

“What? Who told you that?” His confused tone made Eve feel slightly better. “Never mind,” he said before Eve could reply. “Villanelle.” It sounded like a curse word coming from his mouth.

There was a long moment of silence. Eve dug her heels into the sand as she waited for Konstantin to answer her question. 

Eventually, after a long, drawn out sigh, Konstantin said, “No. To be completely honest, I’m not sure what you are. We’re still...discussing it. Raymond wants to put you in protective custody and bring you back to Washington DC. He thinks you’d be better off there in a safe house.”

Eve scoffed. “I was perfectly safe before Villanelle came into my life!”

“Ah, but that was before the Intersect.”

“Well, you can take it back. I don’t want it.”

Konstantin laughed, though it sounded like it pained him. “I like you, Eve, but I’m afraid that’s not possible.”

Eve pushed herself into a seated position. “Why not?” She crossed her legs and turned to face him fully. 

“It’s too dangerous, especially now.”

“Of course it is,” Eve snapped. “When is it ever not dangerous with you people?”

“There was an attack two days ago on our servers. Someone destroyed the Intersect. We were going to use the USB to copy the program over to a new server, but now that’s gone, too. Until we can rebuild, you’re our only hope.”

The more Eve heard, the more she wished she were anywhere but here. Even a shift at the Buy More was starting to look good, and that was saying something. There, the most she had to worry about was not getting caught with her cell phone out. But something deep down pushed her to ask, “Only hope for what, exactly?”

“What you did tonight. Raymond wants you to go into protective custody, but I think you’re better off in the outside world. We need you.”

“To diffuse more bombs? I don’t think so.”

Konstantin shook his head. “No, not bombs. Hopefully you’ll never have to see another in your lifetime, but I can’t promise that. There are other lives at stake if we don’t help. You saved thousands of lives tonight, Eve. The Intersect did that.”

“You weren’t there,” Eve said. “You don’t know how close it was.”

“It’s always going to be close. We’ve lost so many good people in the line of duty, but it was to save hundreds more.” Konstantin stared at her for a long moment. “Eve, this is bigger than any of us. This goes higher than any pay grade, higher than just one country. There’s a threat out there, something so terrible that you couldn’t even begin to imagine what they’re capable of. We created the Intersect because there is no other option. We put every scrap of data into the Intersect, and now it’s gone.”

And that, more than anything, resonated with Eve. “Does Raymond know?”

“Yes, of course. Nearly all intelligence agencies know. This is worldwide, which is why this is so dangerous for you. Once word gets out, you’ll have a target on your back.”

“But he wants to put me in a safe house instead of using the Intersect to save lives.”

“Correct. The NSA thinks it’s better to keep you safe, but the CIA—”

Eve cut him off, mind reeling. So Villanelle  _ did _ work for the CIA. “I don’t care what anyone else thinks. You need me; apparently the whole world needs me. So if I’m as important as you say, then I’m making the decision.”

“It’s not that simple.” 

“No, it is. You need me more than I need you, so if you want me to agree to whatever plan you came up with, then I have demands of my own.”

Konstantin made a disgruntled sound in the back of his throat, but he didn’t protest. Eve took it as a green light to proceed with her requests. 

“First, I want you to guarantee Elena’s safety. If you touch even one hair on her head, I’m out. That includes drugging her, for the record.”

“Okay,” Konstantine said. “We will try.”

“No, that’s non-negotiable.”

“This is a dangerous line of work. There are no guarantees, not for anyone. Every time I leave my house, I don’t know if it’s the last time I’ll see my family.” Konstantin’s voice was tight with emotion. “So I will try to keep her safe, but that’s the most I can promise.”

“I want my old job back.”

This time, Konstantin laughed. “The one you were fired from?”

“Yes.”

“Even if I wanted to do that, it’s not so simple. Your clearance was revoked for a reason, and we can’t just wave that away.”

Of course he read her file. Was she in the Intersect? Could she flash on herself and see the file that everyone else apparently had access to? “Yeah, except now I have access to more secrets than I would have acquired in a lifetime. If you read my file, then you know I wasn’t selling the information. It was just a stupid mistake that I don’t plan on repeating again.”

Konstantin gave her a hard look. “Nobody can know about the Intersect. Not your friends, not your family, and especially not your roommate.”

Eve swallowed hard and then nodded. “I know. I thought I was going insane when I started flashing, but I didn’t tell anyone then. Mostly because I didn’t think anyone would believe me.”

“This is your life now, whether you like it or not, and the less your friends know, the better for everyone involved.” He trailed his fingers through the sand. “If you can keep this from them, then maybe when we have another Intersect built, I can pull a few strings and get you a position.”

“That’s not good enough. I’m the one taking all the risks here, yet you’re getting all the benefits without offering anything in return. These are all empty promises.”

“This isn’t a negotiation. This is the best I can do with what you’re requesting.”

Eve chewed at her lip. “Okay, so what should I be requesting? What would you ask for in my position?”

She didn’t expect a genuine answer, so she was surprised when Konstantin said, “I would ask for money. Not a lot, nothing traceable, but enough to live comfortably with.”

Eve fought to keep her voice steady as she asked, “How much?”

“How about a monthly stipend of four thousand?”

“Eight thousand.”

Konstantin narrowed his eyes. “Six.”

“Fine,” Eve said, crossing her arms across her chest even though her heart was soaring at the thought of six thousand dollars a month. She could pay off her debts and finally start paying half of the rent. She hated to ask, but she needed to know. “So now that we’re working together, does that mean I can go home?”

“Ah, not yet.” He glanced behind them, and Eve followed his line of sight. Someone lurked in the shadows, and immediately Eve felt her mood shift as she recognized the now familiar outline. “Someone else wants to talk to you.”

“I don’t want to talk to her.”

“She’s not so bad once you get to know her.”

“Not bad?” Eve let out a disbelieving laugh. “You know she murdered someone, right?” Eve thought back to earlier that evening. “I don’t think it was her first time, either. She should be in jail.”

Konstantin looked rather amused at the thought, which was the exact opposite response Eve wanted. “I’m sorry, but you’re stuck with her,” Konstantin said, not sounding the least bit apologetic. “I’ve already spent too long here with you. I have to go spin this into a positive story for my boss, who I’m sure will be absolutely furious. You’re in good hands.”

And just like that, Eve was passed from one babysitter to the next. As soon as Konstantin rose to his full height, Villanelle was settling down on Eve’s opposite side. She said nothing, but her gaze bore into Eve.

Eve stared straight at the ocean. While she’d been talking with Konstantin, the sun had slowly begun its ascent, causing wisps of pink and red clouds to paint the sky above them. It was gorgeous, but Eve could only think about how she’d spent the whole night away from the apartment. If—when, she corrected herself—she got home, Elena would ask too many questions.

“What now?” Eve asked. “Where do we go from here?”

Villanelle tilted her head. Even after a full night of chaos that included murdering a man and disarming a bomb, Villanelle was beautiful. Eve felt grimy all over and she was sure she looked even worse than she felt. “To get breakfast? I’m starving.”

Eve glared at her. “That’s not what I meant. If you can’t be serious for one second, then I will walk away right now.”

“You can try,” Villanelle said. “Wherever you go, we’ll find you.”

Eve snorted. “Yeah, I got as much from Konstantin. He said it a lot nicer than you did, though.”

Villanelle kicked out her legs and settled back on her elbows. “He’s better at this part.”

“Try me.”

“What do you want me to tell you? Since you shot down my breakfast idea, which was excellent, by the way.”

Eve ignored the way her stomach rumbled at the thought. “For starters, what I’m supposed to tell Elena.”

Villanelle gave her a lazy smirk, and instinctively Eve knew what was coming before the words were out of Villanelle’s mouth. “I already told you: really rough sex.”

Eve glowered at her. “She thought I was going on a date with you.”

Villanelle’s smile faltered. Her eyes darted up to meet Eve’s. “And what did you think?”

“It doesn’t matter now, does it?”

“Why?”

“Because it was fake. All of it. I should have known you’d never actually be interested.”

Villanelle’s brow furrowed. She didn’t answer Eve for a long time. “Tell her that the date went really well. That you’re going to see me again.”

Eve laughed but stopped abruptly when Villanelle didn’t join in. “You’re joking.”

“You need a cover story.”

“Nobody is going to believe that I’m dating you.”

Villanelle scrunched up her nose. “Do you not want to date me, Eve?”

“Fake date.”

“Same thing,” Villanelle said with a flippant shrug.

“It’s not the same. And no, I don’t think I do.”

“Would you rather date Raymond?”

Eve’s heart nearly stopped at the idea. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

“It’s him or me.”

“Why do I have to pretend to date anyone? Konstantin never said anything about a cover story. Why does it even matter? It’s not like I’ll have to see anyone else once I quit my job.”

Villanelle looked confused. “Why would you quit your job?”

“Why wouldn’t I? If I’m getting paid to work with you, then I don’t need to work at the Buy More as well.”

Villanelle almost laughed at her, making her feel more stupid than she already felt. “You really don’t know how this works, do you.”

Eve threw up her hands. “No, of course I don’t!”

“You’re keeping your job at the Buy More.”

“I’m not.”

“It’s part of your cover.”

“I want a new cover, then.” Eve childishly kicked at the sand. Most of it sprayed forward, but some sunk into her sock. “A cover that doesn’t involve you or Raymond.”

“No wonder Konstantin left. You’re such a pain.”

“You’re one to talk.”

“Whether you like it or not, I’m going to be in your life from now on. You can deny it all you want, but I know you felt something when we met. There was a reason you said yes when I asked you out. We’re going to use that as our cover story. Got it?”

Eve remained stubbornly silent.

“You’re impossible,” Villanelle said with a growl. She picked up a handful of sand and flung it as far as it would go, which ended up being just a few feet. “People are going to come here to kill you, and you need someone to protect you when that happens.”

“So what’s the plan? You’re just going to murder them first?”

“Yes.”

“Fantastic. Just great.”

“I killed that man earlier to protect you.”

“I know you had a gun, and I also know that you chose to use your knife instead. You stabbed him over and over and over; you weren’t doing it to protect me. I think you were enjoying it.”

“I can do both,” Villanelle said. “I’m great at multitasking.”

Villanelle’s reassuring tone caught Eve off guard, and Eve found herself faltering. Did Villanelle really think Eve was concerned about Villanelle keeping her safe and not the brutal way she’d ended someone’s life? And yet, even as she thought about it, had it been so bad? After seeing Nakkia’s handiwork, hadn’t he earned that?

“Okay,” Eve said slowly, not quite believing herself. “So you can protect me. I’m not sure why you couldn’t do that while posing as, oh, I don’t know, my friend?”

“Because a friend wouldn’t spend the night.”

Eve gulped. “Why would you spend the night?”

“To protect you,” Villanelle said. She wrinkled her nose. “Are you even paying attention?” 

“Friends spend the night,” Eve protested, thinking back to all the times she’d stayed with Bill when she was going through her divorce with Niko. “It’s not unusual.” 

“Wouldn’t your roommate be suspicious if you said we were just friends and then I spent the night in your bed?”

Eve bit at the inside of her cheek to keep from overreacting. “That seems unnecessary.”

Villanelle shrugged. “Fine. Then you can’t be mad when someone strangles you in your sleep and I’m not there to protect you.”

“I wouldn’t be upset if that happened. I would be dead.”

Villanelle nodded solemnly. “Exactly.”

“You’re doing a terrible job convincing me.” 

“I shouldn’t have to. This isn’t a game, Eve. This is my job. I’m not doing this for fun.”

Even though Eve knew Villanelle was lying through her teeth about not having fun tormenting Eve, she did have a good point. Konstantin had just agreed to pay Eve a rather generous stipend. 

And it wasn’t like they had to really date; Villanelle would be her girlfriend in name only. As long as there were clear boundaries, Eve could handle occasional touches and maybe even a kiss or two. For cover, of course.

“Okay, yes, fine.” She said the words as quickly as she would pull off a bandaid. “I’ll do it.” Later, she would blame the lack of sleep and the multiple near-death experiences for what she agreed to. 

Villanelle’s smile was as dazzling as the sun rising behind her. 


	6. Chapter 6

By the time Eve made it back to her apartment, she felt like a walking corpse. Villanelle had offered to drop her off directly after their conversation at the beach, but Eve had left her purse in Villanelle’s rental car, which happened to still be back at the hotel. There was no way that Elena would open the door this early in the morning, and while she was sure Villanelle would happily break into the apartment if she asked, Eve still wanted to retrieve her phone and wallet. There would surely be several unanswered text messages from Elena, followed by at least a half dozen missed calls when Eve didn’t answer her back. 

An agent drove them back to the hotel, which is where Villanelle parted ways with Eve. It was rather anticlimactic. After a whole night spent thinking Villanelle might murder her, Eve expected more than a simple goodbye. 

The agent then dropped Eve off at the front of her apartment complex. She might have dozed along the way because she barely remembered the drive over, let alone how she managed to go from the complex’s visitor center to her own front door. But, she was home now and while she was grimy and smelly, all she wanted to do was fall face first onto her bed and sleep for a solid twelve hours. A shower could come later. Elena didn’t start work until nine, so the apartment would be dark and quiet.

Which is why, when she found out that it wasn’t, Eve let out a startled scream. Elena was already up and sitting on the couch, coffee in one hand and phone in the other. She gasped when she saw Eve.

“Oh my god, Eve, I thought something happened to you when you didn’t come back last night! I kept trying to call you, and you wouldn’t pick up! I was  _ this _ close to calling the police.” Elena held her thumb and pointer finger millimeters apart.

Eve blinked a few times, trying to sort through the words. To buy herself some time, she shut the door behind her, turning the lock slowly into place. “Oh, sorry.” She set her purse down. “My phone died.”

Elena shook her head. “You really need to get a new phone or a portable charger or something. What if you were in danger and you couldn’t get a hold of anyone?”

Eve chuckled nervously. “Yeah, that would really put me in a bad place, wouldn’t it.”

“I’m buying you a portable charger,” Elena said. “Consider it an early birthday present.”

Eve nodded absentmindedly.

“Are you okay?” Elena asked, frowning at Eve as she took in Eve’s appearance. “You look really out of it.”

“I’m fine,” Eve said quickly. “Long night.” That was the understatement of the century, but both Villanelle and Konstantin had stressed how important it was not to tell Elena anything. 

“How was your date?”

“Good,” Eve said, and she realized a split second too late that she should have argued a bit more. When she’d left last night, she’d been adamant that it hadn’t been a date. Would Elena believe she’d had a change of heart so quickly? 

The answer was yes apparently, because Elena was grinning madly at her. “I told you so! I told you it was a date!” And then, a little more composed, Elena asked, “Are you going to see her again?”

It was a struggle to keep the sarcasm out of her voice when she said, “Yeah, I think so.”

Elena took a sip of coffee. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Eve forced a smile. “Yeah, I’m just really tired.” Figuring she wasn’t leaving the living room any time soon despite the way her body screamed for sleep, Eve collapsed onto the couch next to Elena. Her head fell back against the cushion and she fought to keep her eyes open. 

Elena sniffed once before wrinkling her nose. “No offense Eve, but you kind of smell like a dumpster that took a visit to the beach.”

Eve laughed at the thought. “Yeah, we spent some time at the beach. Is it really that bad?”

“Horrible.” She gently nudged Eve. “But the beach, huh? What else did you do?”

Eve thought back on her evening. “Drinks,” she said. “We mainly just talked.” She shrugged. “Nothing too exciting.” Now that she’d started lying, she couldn’t stop. “All things considered, it was a very tame first date.”

Elena propped a fist under her chin, head tilted to study Eve. “A tame first date, huh? Which is why she dropped you off promptly at...” She turned her phone on too see the time. “Seven in the morning.”

“Villanelle and I discussed taking it slow.”

“Villanelle,” Elena repeated, sounding entirely too energetic. “That’s a beautiful name. From the way you talked about her last night, I kind of figured it was Karen or something.”

Eve’s head lolled to the side so she could look at Elena. “What? Why Karen?”

“You know, because Karens are the type to complain and ask to see your manager?” At Eve’s blank stare, Elena sighed. “Ugh, never mind. Sometimes I forget how out of the loop you are.”

Eve shut her eyes. Elena’s energy in the mornings was a lot to take in on a normal day, but right now Eve wasn’t sure how much more she could take before she fell asleep on the spot. She stretched her legs out onto the coffee table, and her foot bumped into something. 

“Careful,” Elena said. Eve opened her eyes just in time to see Elena grabbing her laptop before it tumbled over the side of the table. Elena had been working on her laptop when Eve left last night. 

“Enough about me. How was your night?” Eve asked, trying to sound casual. She was a terrible friend. Konstantin broke into their apartment, had made plans to drug Elena, and yet here they were talking about Eve’s date like that was the most important thing to occur in the last twenty-four hours. 

“Horrible,” Elena said, and Eve felt her heart drop. Konstantin said that Elena had been asleep the whole time. Had he lied? Eve, as subtly as possible, did a once over of Elena. She wore dark slacks and a mustard blouse. She smelled freshly showered, a mix of her floral shampoo and honey body wash, but she hadn’t applied her makeup yet. Elena sipped at her coffee and raised an eyebrow. “Why do you look panicked all of a sudden?”

“Did something happen?”

Elena set her cup down with a confused look on her face. “No?” She stared at Eve for a long moment. Eve schooled her face into a neutral expression, but they’d known each other for long enough that Elena could generally see through her facade. “Do you know something I don’t?”

Eve shook her head a little too quickly. “No.” She chewed at the inside of her lip, thinking as quickly as her sleep deprived brain would let her. “I saw police cars just down the street and was concerned, that’s all. Fred said that there was a spike in crime rate in our neighborhood. Something about a few break ins and destruction of property, and you were alone last night. That’s all.”

And somehow she might have made it simultaneously better and worse, because they both hated their next door neighbor, Fred. Not only did he drag her into a painfully long one-sided conversation every time he saw her, but at nearly seventy, there was no way he was going to change his mind about the two people of color living next to him. There had been numerous anonymous complaints when Elena had moved in, and Eve’s pretense exacerbated the problem. Whenever he saw Eve, he made a point to ask her about her husband and then the conversation quickly went downhill from there, with Fred recounting stories from his military days.

Eve winced. Of all the people to choose from, why had she picked Fred? Surely Kenny followed the crime rates in the area. Even if he didn’t that sounded like something Elena would buy off on. Kenny was practically a genius. To cover her tracks, she added, “Though he may have been suggesting that we were doing the breaking and entering, now that I think about it.”

“That sounds about right,” Elena said with a sigh. “How long do we have until he enters a nursing home, do you think? I’m dying to take a look at his apartment. The view must be gorgeous.”

Their apartment faced into the courtyard, whereas Fred’s faced into the valley sprawling below them. Elena had wanted a view like that for years. Eve preferred the courtyard, but only because the decorative trees blocked out most of the light. Valley side, there would be nothing to block the light and it would stream into the apartment constantly. With access to that much natural light, Elena would probably become one of those plant people who bought a new plant every weekend until their apartment was brimming with greenery. 

“I think he’s going to die in his apartment.”

“God, you’re morbid.” Elena smacked her arm. Normally that wouldn’t hurt, but Elena got her right where Villanelle had latched onto earlier. 

Eve gritted her teeth and tried to act like she couldn’t still feel the sharp pain. “I’m right. He’s going to hang onto that apartment until his dying day just because he knows you want it.”

“Probably.”

“So why was your night so horrible?”

Elena picked up her coffee and took a long sip. “For starters, I was worried about you after you didn’t reply to my text message.”

“I’m sorry. I would have texted you that I was okay, but—”

“I know, your phone died. You didn’t even tell me where you were going.” Elena waved her hand around, and Eve watched with wide eyes as coffee nearly sloshed out of the mug. “And it’s not like I needed to know; you’re an adult and you can take care of yourself, obviously. It wasn’t like you were meeting a strange man on the internet; you were meeting a woman. It’s not like you hear anything on the news about women turning up dead after going on dates with other women, right?” 

“Right,” Eve said a little too quickly.

“So then when I was done stressing about that, I had a bath and went to bed. It was just a very uneventful night. I did get a lot of work done, though, so at least there’s that.”

“That’s good,” Eve said automatically, but her mind was elsewhere. Elena was fine. She didn’t know about the break in. Eve glanced around the apartment, but nothing looked out of place. Elena’s belongings were neatly put away, whereas anything belonging to Eve was shoved haphazardly out of tripping distance. It looked exactly as she’d left it last night. If she were in Konstantin’s place, she would have tore through the apartment. She could almost picture it: chairs overturned, vases broken, small items broken underfoot. 

“You look exhausted,” Elena said. “I’m keeping you up.”

On cue, Eve let out a huge yawn. “Yeah, sorry.”

“I want to hear more about your date later. Don’t think you’re off the hook.”

“Sure,” Eve said, grateful that Elena wasn’t asking anymore questions. As unpleasant as it would be, she needed to talk with Villanelle to discuss their cover story. Elena would always ask questions, and Eve wanted to make sure that her story aligned with Villanelle’s before Elena and Villanelle inevitably met.

\---

Despite wanting to sleep for twelve hours, Eve only slept for half that time before her alarm woke her up. She wasn’t even certain when she’d set the alarm, but there it was, blaring from her now fully charged phone. She muttered several curses before finding the dismiss button. 

Her whole world had changed, but she still had the closing shift at the Buy More. She wanted to call in sick, but Konstantin had said that she needed to act as though everything was normal. So instead of going back to sleep, she dragged herself into the shower and then through the rest of her routine. 

By the time Eve arrived for her shift, the Buy More was crowded with people ready to begin their weekend. A sequel for a popular Nintendo game had just come out, and the store was flooded with people who hadn’t pre-purchased their physical copy from Amazon. Eve couldn’t walk ten feet without a sign advertising the latest release. Bear was ringing someone up at the Nerd Herd kiosk as Eve walked by, but he waved at her to stop. 

He had a customer with him, so Eve played with her phone as he finished and turned his attention to her. “Hey, we have a new Nerd starting this afternoon. Do you think you could maybe show him the ropes? I’d do it myself, but I just got a service call.”

Eve hesitated. The only thing worse than running a cash register was teaching someone else how to use it. Bear had a tick in his eye he only got when he was one step away from completely losing it. Eve pressed her lips into a firm line.

“I’ll let you have some of my Tangfastics,” Bear offered. His expression was so earnest that Eve felt a little guilty for stealing a bag last week. 

Eve nodded. “Yeah, I can do that. Do you know when they’re getting here?” She would hate every minute of it, but at least it would keep her mind off of everything else going on in her life. 

“He called maybe twenty minutes ago, said he was running a bit late, so he should be here any minute. Can you help him fill out his onboarding paperwork? If you can’t, I’m sure Hugo can help.”

Eve made a face. “Hugo’s here tonight?”

Bear gave Eve a sympathetic smile. “Yeah, sorry, I should have thought that through before offering up his help.”

Hugo, for the most part, was a fantastic salesman. He could convince nearly anyone walking into the store that they needed a new television or computer. For that reason alone, he was still employed at the Buy More. His other skills, namely how he interacted with the women on the Buy More staff, had nearly cost him his job on several occasions.

He wasn’t a bad looking guy, but he was nowhere near as attractive as he thought he was. He oftentimes left his Buy More polo unbuttoned and, when combined with dark skinny jeans and polished loafers, he gave off more of an Abercrombie vibe rather than the Buy More. He fit in just about as well as Eve did. In a perfect world, they would have bonded over being outcasts in the store, but Hugo was more focused on getting into Eve’s pants then forming a type of friendship other than friends with benefits.

Eve wasn’t sure which rumors to believe, but if at least half of them were true, Hugo had already succeeded with a few of the women either working or shopping at the Buy More. Either way, she had no interest in ignoring his advances for the duration of their shift together. 

“I’ll be fine by myself,” Eve said. “It can’t be that hard to figure out, right?”

“No,” Bear agreed. He grabbed the keys to the Nerd Herd car. “It’s not hard. I’ve got to run, though. Thanks again, I really owe you one! Text me if you have any issues.”

Not even a minute later, Eve had the Nerd Herd kiosk to herself. Sometimes the closing shift had its benefits. The charger was exactly where she left it under the desk. She crawled under to plug her phone in, then finally made her way to the back of the store to put her purse in a locker and officially clock in. 

When she got back onto the sales floor, the last person she wanted to see stood in front of the door marked employees only.

“What are you doing here?” Eve asked.

“Hello,” Raymond said as he made a show of looking down at her name tag, then back up at her. “Eve,” he said slowly, like it was the first time he’d seen her. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m the new hire.” 

To prove his point, he gestured to what he was wearing. And sure enough, he already wore a bright green Buy More polo complete with a name tag that displayed his first name and his position, Nerd Herd Specialist, directly beneath it. It had taken Eve weeks to get one with her name on it; how had he gotten his in less than a day? He didn’t have to look so smug about it, either, but his lips curled up into a self satisfied smile that Eve sort of hated.

“That’s not possible,” Eve said even though the evidence was standing right in front of her. “Aren’t you supposed to be somewhere else? Somewhere like D.C.?”

Raymond tilted his head. “Why would I be in D.C. when I have a job here?” He leaned in closer and added, a little quieter, “I’m staying right here. Somebody has to protect you.”

The hair on the back of Eve’s neck rose as Raymond’s breath hit her ear. His words sounded more like a threat than a comfort. That’s when it hit her. “Oh god, you’re the new hire I’m supposed to train.”

Raymond’s smile twisted into a smirk. “Perfect. I’ve never worked retail before. I can’t wait to give it a go.” 

Eve, who had worked numerous retail jobs to afford her first car and to help pay for college, narrowed her eyes at Raymond. When she’d interviewed here, Mike had asked after her previous retail experience. He had been less interested in her government position, but very concerned about her past retail experience and how she could handle customers. “How did you even get through the hiring process? It took me a week to hear back after my interview.”

“I pulled some strings,” Raymond said simply, like it was the easiest thing to do. If that was the case, Eve should have negotiated with him instead of Konstantine. 

“Okay, well, you can’t rely on your strings to keep yourself employed here. If Mike finds out you’re not qualified, you’re on your own.”

Raymond seemed to contemplate that for a moment. “It can’t be that hard to fix a computer.”

Eve bit back a laugh. She’d watched Kenny spend hours fixing a system because some amateur thought the solution to getting a virus off of a machine was to delete System 32. 

“Sure,” she agreed. “It’s actually really easy.” 

Raymond shot her a look that screamed ‘I told you so.’ She couldn’t wait for him to get fired after his first failed service call. Then he’d be out of her hair for good.

\---

She couldn’t believe it, but when Hugo rounded the corner, Eve felt a surge of relief wash over her. Bear was right about the paperwork; it was easy, especially with the checklist attached to the front to make sure they finished everything. Next up was training modules, but neither Hugo nor Raymond needed to know that Eve was fully capable of operating the software by herself.

“Hugo, hey!” Eve waved him down. They were stationed in the kiosk, with Raymond sitting right in front of where Eve’s phone lay charging.

Hugo tilted his head and gave Eve a lopsided grin. “Hey, Eve.” His eyes darted down her body and back up. Eve hated the way it made her skin crawl.

“This is Raymond,” she said. 

Hugo’s smile faltered as he realized she was calling him over to help, not to chat. “Nice to meet you,” he said, his tone monotonous now.

“I’m having some trouble getting the training software to load,” Eve lied. “Do you think you could take a look and maybe walk him through a few modules?” She made sure to look at Hugo as she added, “Maybe the sexual harassment one?”

Hugo gulped. “Sure.”

Eve brightened. “Perfect.” A customer wandered by, looking a little lost, and Eve nodded in their direction. “I’m going to help, I’ll be back.” 

Hugo gave her an odd look, because they both knew she typically avoided customers as much as she could, but at this point, even a customer was better than hanging around Raymond. 

The customer, a frazzled looking dad, was looking for a video camera on the complete opposite side of the store. Eve pointed it out and slipped away when he thanked her and headed toward the nearest cash register. She delayed the inevitable return to Raymond by straightening some rows in the DVD section, followed by a quick perusal of the CDs. Closer to the front of the store now, Eve had a view of both the entrance and the Nerd Herd kiosk. 

A familiar flash of blonde hair near the store’s entrance caught her eye. Villanelle hadn’t seen her yet, so Eve took the time to stare unabashedly at her.

Villanelle wore a sleeveless powder blue sundress that hugged her chest and flared out at the waist. It stopped mid-thigh, accentuating Villanelle’s long legs that appeared even longer when paired with her wedged sandals. She appeared to be searching for Eve, her face turned to the Nerd Herd kiosk and then, when she didn't find Eve there, around the rest of the store. Her hair was pulled into a high ponytail that brushed against the tips of her shoulders as she looked back and forth.

When she finally spotted Eve, a smile tugged at her lips and her whole face brightened. Eve hated the way her breath hitched at the sight. This was so unfair. She didn't even like women. She’d told Elena as such last night. And even if she did, Villanelle was completely off the table. 

This was just an act. Villanelle had to appear delighted to see her girlfriend. Not even twenty-four hours ago, Eve had watched Villanelle murder a man. She shouldn't feel anything for Villanelle other than horror and disgust. Of course, it didn't help that Villanelle looked soft in her dress, and her smile was growing larger the closer she drew to Eve. 

"Hey," Villanelle murmured, close enough now that Eve could smell her perfume. It was overwhelming in a way that Eve didn’t entirely hate. Villanelle, taller than Eve without heels, towered over Eve now with her sandals. 

Villanelle leaned in closer still. Eve's eyes widened and she turned her face at the last minute, forcing Villanelle's lips to brush against the corner of her mouth instead of her original destination. Even still, the contact sent shockwaves through Eve's body. Oh god. They had almost kissed. Villanelle had almost kissed her. 

Eve sucked in a breath and took a step back, furious. "What the fuck? Why did you do that?" It was harsher than she had originally intended, but she had to enforce some boundaries. Sure, she was okay with being fake girlfriends, but when had she agreed to PDA? 

Villanelle's mouth dropped open. "I was just saying hello." Her American accent was back in full force. Villanelle’s eyes dropped to the floor, and for a split second Eve thought she was actually upset. Doubt filled her before she realized that Villanelle had to be acting. She wouldn’t actually be upset that Eve rejected her kiss.

In the back of her mind, she’d already made peace with it happening eventually. She just hadn’t pictured that eventually happening today. It was too soon. She wasn’t ready, and she most certainly hadn’t given Villanelle her consent to kiss her whenever it best fit their cover story.

“Yes, well, say hello some other way,” Eve snapped. 

Villanelle’s eyes narrowed and her smile slipped from her face. “We’re in public, Eve.” She didn’t appear mad, but her voice had an edge of warning in it. Villanelle was humoring her for the time being, but if Eve stepped too far over the line and threatened their cover story, then Eve was sure there would be hell to pay. 

“Exactly.” Eve took a step back to give them a bit of distance and so that she could think a little clearer. Villanelle’s perfume was strong. “Don’t you think we should discuss what we feel comfortable with?” She crossed her arms. “Besides, this is where I work. I wouldn’t kiss my girlfriend here.”

Villanelle raised an eyebrow. “Why not? I have it on good authority that I’m very kissable.”

Eve suppressed a smile at Villanelle’s indignant look. Served her right. “Because I work with a bunch of immature men, and I can guarantee at least one of them will comment about how hot it is to see two girls kissing.”

“Really?”

“I wish I was joking.”

“No wonder you wanted to quit.”

Eve sucked in a breath. “Yeah, but can we not discuss that here? I’m not sure my boss would be happy if he found out about that.”

Villanelle shrugged. “Okay.”

And now that Eve wasn’t dodging a kiss, she had time to focus on her next most pressing issue: Raymond. “Speaking of work,” Eve said slowly, leaning in close enough so that she wouldn’t be overheard, “You wouldn’t believe what happened today. Raymond works here now.” She gestured to the Nerd Herd kiosk. “He’s over there right now, training to be part of the Nerd Herd.”

Eve expected some reaction from Villanelle, maybe some sympathy, but instead Villanelle yawned, not looking the least bit surprised. “That was quick.” 

“Wait, you already knew? How?”

“One of us has to monitor you here, and I wasn’t about to do it. I’d rather go back to prison than work here.”

And wow, that was a lot to unpack. Eve desperately wanted to ask about that whole prison thing, but she’d have to save it for another time. For starters, when she wasn’t on the clock. Any minute now, one of her coworkers would stop by to check on them. It was unusual behavior for Eve to spend longer than a few minutes talking to a customer, and Eve wasn’t ready to introduce Villanelle to anyone, least of all one of her coworkers. 

“I thought you hated Raymond,” she said instead of asking about prison. 

“Oh, I do. But I would hate working for this place more.”

“Yeah, I kind of got that with the whole prison thing.” Eve shifted her weight from foot to foot. “Was there a reason you stopped by?”

“Do I need a reason?” Villanelle asked instead of answering. “Can’t I just be stopping by to say hello?”

Eve sighed. “No, you can’t do that.” Villanelle opened her mouth to reply, but Eve held a hand up. “If you’re going to say something about how all good girlfriends stop by to visit their girlfriends at work, save it. We went on one date. If this were real, we wouldn’t even see each other until our next date. At most, we should be sending each other text messages. So how about the next time you want to just ‘stop by,’ why don’t you send me a text instead?”

Villanelle laughed. “You don’t know anything about a relationship with another woman, do you.”

Eve glowered.

“Oh my god, Eve, am I your first?” Villanelle wiggled her shoulders a little bit, eyes twinkling with delight. 

And oh, that was embarrassing. Eve huffed out a breath. What had given her away? She wouldn’t put it past whatever file they had on her to list out her fourteen-year failed marriage with Niko. Better yet, why did it matter? She gave voice to the second question. “No. You’re not my anything because this doesn’t mean anything.”

“Wow, okay. I was just teasing.” Villanelle’s eyebrows rose. “You’re grumpy today.”

Eve took a deep breath in and released it slowly, trying her hardest not to cause a scene by blowing up at Villanelle. “I was perfectly fine until you showed up.”

“Are you sure? You sounded awfully mad about Raymond.” Her accent slipped a little on his name.

Eve had to give her that one. “Okay, maybe it wasn’t entirely you.”

Villanelle hummed her agreement. Around them, the store bustled with people. Eve could hear snippets of weekend plans and the ever present televisions in the back of the store. Beside her, Villanelle toyed with the closest CD, fingernail digging into the plastic wrapping that sealed it shut.

“Can we talk later?” Eve asked before she could regret it. She needed to get back to work soon, but they still had a lot to talk about. Namely, their cover story, or lack thereof. They would never succeed in selling their fake relationship if every interaction went like this one. 

“We’re talking right now,” Villanelle retorted immediately. 

“Somewhere more private.” 

Before she’d even finished speaking, there was a smirk spreading across Villanelle’s lips. “Sure, Eve. Anywhere you’d like. My hotel room, perhaps?”


	7. Chapter 7

When Eve returned to the Nerd Herd kiosk, Hugo had a gleam in his eye. Eve, with a sinking sensation, realized that he'd seen her entire exchange with Villanelle. Raymond, however, was conspicuously absent. She decided to focus on that problem first.

She pointed to the empty chair. “Where’s Raymond?”

“Lunch break,” Hugo drawled. He leaned against the desk, elbows propped up and head in his hands. A knowing smile slowly spread across his face.

Eve glanced at the computer to check the time. “It’s six o’clock.”

“Dinner break, then. I don’t know, he said he would be right back. I didn’t question it.”

Eve pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. “You just let him leave?”

Hugo shrugged. “Yeah, why not? He’s an adult. I’m sure he knows the rules.”

“Hugo, he started two hours ago.”

“Okay, so then maybe he doesn’t know them,” Hugo conceded easily. “But he can’t get in trouble either, right? He can just say that nobody told him.”

“So we’ll get in trouble instead.”

“But it was worth it, right?”

Eve frowned. “Excuse me?”

“The blonde chick you were with.” He said it like it was a full statement, like Eve was supposed to parse something from his half sentence. There was a lengthy pause as he waited for Eve to reply. When she didn’t, he added, “Holy shit.”

Eve made a noncommittal hum. 

Hugo bit at his lower lip. “She tried to kiss you,” he said, stating the obvious.

Eve was in no way prepared for this conversation. She thought she had more time, but she should have expected at least one person to ask when Villanelle decided to attempt to kiss her in the middle of the store. 

“Yeah,” Eve said, hoping Hugo would drop it.

“She was in here the other day,” Hugo said, surprising Eve with his observational skills. “To fix her phone, right?” Somebody’s phone, sure. Another dead man to add to the list. “That’s some serious game,” Hugo continued. “Nice work.” And then, in a move that completely shocked and disgusted Eve, Hugo held his hand up for a high five. 

“I’ll pass,” she told him, adding enough ice to her words that Hugo finally seemed to catch on. 

He let his hand fall to his side. “Sorry, I didn’t realize it was a touchy subject. Are you,” he lowered his voice, even though there wasn’t anyone in the immediate vicinity, “not out yet? That’s totally cool, too. I won’t say anything about it if you don’t want me to.”

Eve took in a shaky breath. “Thanks,” she said, intentionally not answering the first question. “I’d appreciate that. It’s still new.” And that, at least, wasn’t a lie. Telling the truth, however minor, felt good. She wasn’t used to lying, but she would need to become an expert at it to survive this new life of hers.

—-

Eve, not willing to face Elena when she told her the news of seeing Villanelle again, opted for a text instead. Within moments of sending it, she got two replies back: the first was a string of emojis she didn’t have the energy to decipher. The second was in English, thankfully, and Eve read through it quickly before replying. 

Elena:  _ Omg! Please tell me you have an extra phone charger this time. When are you bringing her here? _

Eve replied with a quick,  _ I’ll be home before my phone dies. _ She’d pay for it later, but for now she ignored the second part of the message. 

She pulled her keys out of the ignition and slowly got out of the car. Villanelle had given her a room number earlier, but they still hadn’t exchanged phone numbers. Eve was a little early, so she took her time heading into the Peaceful Gardens Hotel. The receptionist, a different one from a few days ago, smiled at her as she walked past. Eve forced herself to smile back as she headed toward the elevators. 

Villanelle’s room was on the top floor of the hotel. Eve spent the entire elevator ride pointedly not thinking about what they might do in a hotel room together. Now that murder was off the table, there were endless possibilities. Instead, Eve had decided to focus on the flyers posted to the inside of the elevator that seemed to list the hotel’s upcoming events, which happened to include a tapas hour the following day and meatball Monday. Eve scrunched up her face. At least they were trying. Another flyer directly below the events one stated, in blocky capital letters, that the pool had been closed until further notice. No wonder Konstantin and Villanelle were able to book rooms here despite there being a huge conference in town.

Eve had checked the news earlier, half expecting to see her face up there along with a headline somewhere along the lines of, ‘Woman Single Handedly Disarms Bomb and Saves Thousands.’ However, the only articles about the SPIE convention were fluff pieces discussing how important the convention was to the local economy. Absolutely nothing about the bomb or Jacob Michelson’s arrest, which was both terrifying and a relief. Still, there were people swarming all over the area last night once Eve had diffused the bomb. How had it not gotten out? Were the people she now worked with powerful enough to control the media too?

Yes, was the immediate answer. Yes, they were powerful enough to control anything they so desired. The elevator doors slid open, pulling Eve out of her thoughts. The carpet was firm under her feet as she stepped out into the hallway. She followed the sign pointing to the right and only had to walk a few past a few sets of doors before she got to room 607. 

Eve reached out to knock, hand poised just inches from the door. She hesitated. Cover story, she reminded herself. That’s what they needed to discuss. She wouldn’t let Villanelle pull her into anything else. They would talk about their cover story, and then Eve would leave. 

She knocked twice in quick succession. The door opened, and Eve’s heart dropped. 

“Eve,” Konstantin said with a frown. “What are you doing here?”

Eve’s eyes darted up to the number on the door, confirming she had the right number. “Is this Villanelle’s room?” It wouldn’t surprise Eve if Villanelle had intentionally given her the wrong number. That seemed like something she would enjoy.

“Yes,” Konstantin said slowly. He looked like he wanted to say more, but suddenly the door opened wider and there was Villanelle. She had changed out of her sundress and now wore a silk robe over top a camisole. Eve caught herself before her gaze dipped lower. Villanelle appeared a little frazzled, like Eve’s arrival had slipped her mind. Her hair was pulled into a loose ponytail at the back of her neck, but her makeup was freshly done. 

“Hey,” Villanelle said. “Konstantin was just leaving.” She raised her eyebrows at him.

Konstantin stood his ground. “No, I wasn’t. What is Eve doing here?”

“I invited her.”

Konstantin sighed. “Villanelle.”

Villanelle sighed right back at him. “What? She wanted to talk in private.” She gestured back into the room. “This is as private as we’re going to get. I already swept for bugs.” She narrowed her eyes. “It was bug free earlier, at least, unless you just planted a few more?”

Konstantin ignored the last bit. “You can’t just meet with her without telling me. What if Raymond found out? He’ll think you’re planning something against him.”

Villanelle made a face. “Raymond isn’t going to find out. Eve was careful coming here, right, Eve?”

And now both faces were turned her way; Eve faltered. “I was supposed to check for that?” She would feel bad about it, but it wasn’t like they’d given her a crash course on Spying 101 or even a book like How to be a Spy for Dummies. 

Konstantin shot Villanelle a look that Eve didn’t quite understand. Villanelle shrugged and said, “It’ll be fine. I’m sure she wasn’t followed.”

“You can’t be certain.”

“She’s not in any danger at the moment,” Villanelle protested. “She’s perfectly fine to drive where she wants to.”

Eve adjusted the purse strap on her shoulder. “I’m right here, so you don’t have to talk about me like I’m not.” She paused, frowning. “Also, what do you mean not in danger at the moment?”

Konstantin hesitated, but then stepped behind Villanelle and waved Eve on the inside of the hotel room. “Come on. If you want answers, you’re going to have to come in here.”

Eve glanced around the deserted hallway. it wasn’t like anyone was listening out here, either, but Konstantin seemed keen to get them behind closed doors. Konstantin headed toward a couch at the back of the hotel room. Villanelle clung to the door handle, barely giving Eve room to pass by. Her perfume was more subtle now then it had been hours ago, but Eve still caught a faint whiff of it as she squeezed by Villanelle. 

For such a small hotel, the room was larger than Eve anticipated. There was enough space for the three of them to move around, though there were only two cushions on the couch that Konstantin currently occupied. The bed, a king size, was still made, though an outfit lay perfectly arranged on top. It was similar to what Villanelle had worn the night before, though this pantsuit was full of color, whereas it had been intentionally subtle the night before. A frilly shirt lay nearby.

Eve hazarded a glance toward Villanelle’s current outfit, or lack thereof, then back to the clothing on the bed. Given Villanelle’s frazzled appearance, she wondered if Konstantin had interrupted her as she was getting ready. Eve’s heart beat faster at the thought. What had Villanelle been planning? Was it anything like Eve had pictured? No, she firmly told herself. Cover story and get out. Except now, with Konstantin here, everything changed. As long as he stayed, she wouldn’t get caught in whatever net Villanelle seemed to always catch her in. Even better, she might be able to get the answers to some of her lingering questions. 

Eve set her purse down on the floor and settled in next to Konstantin. Villanelle parched on the edge of the bed, hands clasped on her lap and her back straight. She was studying Eve, and suddenly Eve felt self conscious about her decision to come over directly after work. 

The Buy More Polo only came in a gender neutral cut, which meant the material was boxy and unflattering on her figure. Eve pulled at the collar where it lay flat, trying to straighten it out the best she could. Villanelle’s eyes followed the movement of her hand. 

“I do have something I need to discuss with you, Eve,” Konstantin said, breaking the silence that had fallen over the room.

Eve pulled her attention away from Villanelle’s watchful gaze. There were bags under Konstantin’s eyes, like he hadn’t slept well last night, if at all. 

“We have a specialist flying in from Berlin tonight.” Konstantin ran a hand over his face. “We want you to meet with him first thing in the morning. Dr. Zarnow worked on the original intersect, so we think he might be able to help.”

Eve frowned. “Help how, exactly?”

When Konstantin didn’t answer right away, Eve looked to Villanelle for answers. She didn’t quite know Villanelle’s role in all this. Was Villanelle’s position equal to Konstantin? And if it was, then why was Raymond working alone and not with a partner?

“Well, first,” Konstantin said, “we need to confirm that you actually have the Intersect.”

Eve scoffed. “Oh, okay.”

Konstantin held his hand up. “I know, I think it’s unnecessary, but it’s not up to me. My boss, she wants proof.”

“You mean proof beyond me using the Intersect to disarm a bomb?”

Konstantin smiled, but there was no warmth to it. “Yes, you’d think that would be enough. But we didn’t think it was possible for a human to receive the Intersect, and now that the servers are gone, we need to verify that you have all the information previously contained on the USB.”

“What sort of tests?” Eve asked with narrowed eyes. Testing could mean anything from drawing blood to scanning her brain to something invasive and possibly illegal. If they were able to keep two huge stories out of the news, then Eve wouldn’t put it past them to bypass medical red tape as well.

“Nothing invasive yet,” Konstantin said reassuringly, like that statement was supposed to make her feel better. “This is just the first of many tests. We need to ensure that you’re in good health. He’ll do a preliminary exam and try to get you to activate the Intersect so he can monitor your brain.”

“Okay,” Eve said, shoulders losing some of their tension. “That’s fine, I guess. So testing tomorrow. Then what?” She looked back to Villanelle, who appeared to be zoning out. “I haven’t flashed on anything today.” It was part apology, part statement.

Villanelle met her gaze evenly. “Of course you wouldn’t. You’ve been working all day.”

“Yeah, with Raymond.” Eve groaned. The more time she spent with him, the more she understood Villanelle’s immediate reaction to hearing Eve ask about the NSA.

Konstantin cleared his throat, drawing attention back to himself. “That’s where testing will come in handy. We don’t know what sets it off, but we’ll need to figure it out sooner rather than later. Ideally, you’ll be able to recognize any threats before they recognize you. You may not like it, but with Raymond at the Buy More, you should be safe.”

That, at least, reassured Eve. Nobody seemed to like Raymond, but at least they all acknowledged that he was good at his job. 

“Once we confirm the Intersect is inside there—” He gestured to his brain before continuing, “then we can start planning our next move. Maybe even how to get it out.”

Eve swallowed hard at the thought. As terrifying as the last few days had been, she was slowly starting to come to terms with having the Intersect in her brain. She hadn’t realized how empty her life had been prior to a few days ago. It had been the same thing over and over—going to a job she hated and then returning to an apartment that didn’t belong to her, where her presence was supposed to be temporary. Six months ago, she’d promised she’d get out of Elena’s hair once she got her feet back on the ground after spending her savings on the divorce. Speaking of, the money was a nice bonus, too. 

“How soon will that be?” Eve asked. It would be so simple to return to her old life, but she wasn’t sure she was the same person anymore.

Konstantin shook his head. “We have no idea. Dr. Zarnow will be here for a few weeks. By the end of his visit, hopefully we’ll have a clear answer for you. In the meantime...”

The shrill sound of a ringtone filled the room. Konstantin reached for it immediately, saw who was on his Caller ID, and grimaced. “I have to take this.” To Villanelle, he said, “It’s Carolyn. This may take a while. Stay out of trouble.”

Villanelle widened her eyes in mock innocence, but if she had planned to say anything, she didn’t get a chance to. Konstantin accepted the call and slipped out of the room.

And then it was just them. And oh, Villanelle shouldn’t be looking at her like that. Like Eve was the prey and Villanelle was the hunter. 

Eve swallowed hard and decided to let Villanelle make the first move. She leaned farther back onto the bed. The movement caused the knot on her robe to loosen the tiniest amount; Eve suspected Villanelle did it on purpose. The silk fabric dipped low, too low. 

Eve allowed her eyes to follow the path once, then kept her eyes stubbornly on Villanelle’s face. There was a knowing smirk there, and Eve hated her for it.

“We’re alone now,” Villanelle said, stating the obvious. She was putting the ball in Eve’s court, letting Eve decide where this was going next. “Konstantin won’t be back for ages.”

“Yes,” Eve agreed, giving her nothing.

Villanelle tilted her head. “What did you want to talk about?”

Eve crossed her arms. “Our cover story.”

Villanelle stood up. Eve gripped the armrest in an effort to remain still and keep her face neutral as Villanelle took Konstantin’s seat. Her robe bunched at her thighs, but Villanelle made no move to fix it. Eve could see dark shorts peeking out from underneath the robe and oh, wasn’t that just a relief to know that Villanelle had been dressed this whole time. Eve found herself breathing a little easier, found Villanelle’s attempts at—something—a little easier to avoid. 

“What about our cover story?” Villanelle asked. She stared at Eve for a moment, taking in the way Eve was suddenly calm and unaffected. “You’re not breaking up with me already, are you?”

“It’s a fake relationship,” Eve corrected immediately, “and no, I hadn’t planned on it. Should I?” She folded her hands together, trying her hardest not to smirk as she said, “Our new cover could be just friends.”

The reply was immediate and higher pitched than normal. “No!”

“Okay, then.”

“So if you’re not here for that, then why?”

“Because you tried to kiss me earlier, and I think we need to discuss boundaries.” To illustrate her point, she added, “Like right now, for example, you don’t actually need to sit so close. It’s distracting.”

Villanelle’s lips twitched, but she did as requested and scooted to the opposite end of the couch. “Better?”

“It’s a start.”

Villanelle huffed. “You’re very difficult to work with.” 

“Yeah, well, you’re not making this easy either.”

Villanelle remained stubbornly silent. Eve took it as a victory.

“So can we actually talk about our cover story now?” she asked. 

Villanelle waved a hand dismissively. “Sure.”

“You’re the one who wanted one in the first place.”

“I already said okay. Go ahead: talk.”

“People are going to ask questions,” Eve said, feeling the need to explain herself. “I know I can’t tell the truth, so what can I tell them?” She paused, taking in a deep breath. “I don’t know anything about you. Is Villanelle even your real name?”

Villanelle’s eyes narrowed. “It’s not the name I was born with, but that doesn’t make it any less real.”

Eve bit at her lip to prevent herself from asking Villanelle’s birth name. “Okay. And are you still sticking with that American accent you hate so much?”

This time, Villanelle glared. “Yes.”

“Okay, good. I think it sounds nice.” Villanelle’s glare turned dangerous, and Eve found herself quickly backtracking. “Not that your real accent is bad,” she insisted. “It’s just that it’s easier if I don’t have to explain how I suddenly found myself dating a woman from Russia.”

“I live in Paris, actually.” Villanelle shifted in her seat, pulling the robe tighter around herself. “I don’t like to talk about Russia.”

“I won’t ask,” Eve said. “It doesn’t matter for our cover story, anyway.”

“Right,” Villanelle agreed a little too quickly, though she seemed to relax a little when Eve didn’t press her.

“Where are you from? For our cover, I mean.”

Villanelle made a face. “Is someone really going to ask me that? I don’t know, pick a city. Somewhere nice.”

Eve huffed out a laugh. “Have you thought this through at all? You told me last night that I was going to get murdered if I didn’t have a flawless cover story, and it seems like you haven’t put any thought behind this beyond trying to kiss me earlier! Is this all a joke to you? Because it’s not a joke to me.”

Villanelle clamped her jaw shut. Through gritted teeth, she said, “I’m taking this as seriously as I can. It’s not my fault your life was so boring before this.”

She was right. Eve was furious, but Villanelle was right. She’d been treading water before this, barely staying afloat in her sea of monotony. “Well now you get to be boring, too.”

Villanelle laughed a little at that. “I’ll never be boring.” She tapped her finger on her chin as she contemplated what to say next. “Though I think if I was, I would be from Seattle.”

“Okay. And we met at the Buy More when you broke your phone.”

“Ew. That’s worse than boring.”

Eve sent her a look. “That’s how we met. Shouldn’t we keep in some things as close to the truth as possible so it’s easier to remember?”

Villanelle shrugged. “Sure, whatever. Nobody is going to believe you, though. I would never actually ask someone out who worked at a Buy More.”

Eve’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Okay, well, I know that now, but I didn’t before. Elena already thinks that’s how we met, so we’re just going to stick to that. If that’s the least believable part of our story, then I’m okay with that. ”

“Fine.”

“And no more PDA.”

Villanelle threw up her hands. “It was just one kiss!”

“I’m serious. I don’t want you to kiss me or touch me unless we absolutely have to sell it for our cover story.”

“I didn’t realize you would hate it so much.” Villanelle’s face grew a little paler, but she said, “Fine, I won’t touch you.”

“We’re colleagues first,” Eve reminded her. “If we have to work together, then I want us to be as professional as possible.”

“What are you going to do when I come over to your apartment? Pretend that we’re one of those couples who are only affectionate in private?”

“Hopefully, we’ll never need to test that theory out.”

“Unlikely. Raymond won’t always be there. Face it, Eve. At some point, you’re going to have to pretend to like me.”

Eve froze. “What do you mean by that?”

“It means you can’t always recoil from my touch like I’m sick or something.”

“No, not about that. About Raymond.”

Villanelle paused, a slow smile spreading across her face. “You haven’t been home yet?”

“No, I came here after work. We talked about this.”

“That explains the outfit. I was wondering.” Villanelle turned her nose up at Eve’s work clothes. “I thought you were just super unfashionable.”

“What about Raymond?” Eve asked again, voice higher and more urgent this time.

Villanelle paused, looking like she was enjoying every moment of Eve’s undivided attention. Just when Eve couldn’t handle it anymore, Villanelle said, “He’s your new neighbor.”

Eve shook her head in disbelief. “That’s not possible. There weren’t any vacancies.”

“You think that matters?” Villanelle asked. “He moved in across from you. I got a look at the apartment; it’s nice. Decent view.”

And oh god. “You mean Fred’s apartment?” She and Elena had been talking about it just this morning. Elena was going to be furious when she found out she’d missed her chance at her dream apartment. 

“Well, he doesn’t live there anymore.”

“What did you do to him?” Eve asked. “You didn’t kill him, did you?”

Villanelle frowned. “No. Eve, do you really think I would kill just for a mediocre apartment?”

“I don’t know, do I? I know you’ve killed at least two other people, and from the way you handled Nakkia, I’m sure it’s a lot more than that.” 

“Mm.”

Eve sucked in short deep gasps, trying to reign in her temper. She still had bruises to prove how vicious Villanelle was even when she wasn’t out to kill. “We’re off track,” she said instead of apologizing.

“Whose fault was that?” 

Eve ignored that dig, too. “Why did Raymond move in next to me?”

“To protect you,” Villanelle said. “I told you, this isn’t a joke to anyone. We’re taking your protection seriously, even if you might not believe it.”

“Couldn’t it have been Konstantin?” Out of her three so-called protectors, Konstantin seemed to be the most level-headed. She wasn’t sure why Villanelle and Raymond kept inserting themselves into her life whereas Konstantin seemed to be nearly absent. 

Villanelle contemplated this for a moment before giving Eve possibly the worst answer she’d heard all night. “Because after Dr. Zarnow is done with you, Konstantin is leaving.”


	8. Chapter 8

It was still dark outside when Konstantin came for Eve. Dr. Zarnow, still on Berlin time, had requested to meet with her as soon as possible, which apparently meant in the early morning hours. When Eve slid into the car next to him, Konstantin handed her a cup of coffee. She wasn’t sure where he’d gotten it from, as even Starbucks wasn’t open this early, but she appreciated it all the same. Villanelle was absent, probably still sleeping.

Konstantin let the radio fill the silence. Eve, content to sip her coffee and stare out the window, did nothing to break the calm atmosphere. Traffic was light on the road. Eve didn’t know where Konstantin was taking her—a hospital, maybe? But that seemed a little too obvious for someone operating under the radar.

They drove for nearly thirty minutes before pulling up to a business park. Eve hadn’t been to this part of town before, so she studied her surroundings with a keen interest. Most of the businesses were either accountants or lawyers, with a single orthopedic clinic sharing a wall with what appeared to be a family medical practice. Light flooded onto the street from this last business. There was a gray sedan parked in front, the only car in the parking lot. Konstantin parked the suburban right next to it.

Eve sucked in a deep breath. The coffee had done the trick; she wasn’t about to fall asleep, but the caffeine left her jittery and uncertain. Konstantin had been intentionally vague about the details, so she was starting to picture the worst. 

“You’ll be fine,” Konstantin said, pressing a hand reassuringly to her arm. “I’ve worked with Dr. Zarnow before. He’s a good man. A little brisk, but he means well.”

Eve forced a smile. She was going to miss him. Of the three agents, he was easily her favorite. He was calm and collected, completely opposite Villanelle in personality.

“Are you ready?” He asked. 

“Yes, I think so.”

Without the sun glaring down on them, the morning was cool and crisp. Eve wished she’d brought a jacket or at the very least worn a long sleeve shirt instead of a t-shirt and jeans. Eve followed Konstantin to the front door, where he opened it and ushered her through.

The reception area was empty, but all the lights had been turned on. Konstantin shut the door and locked it behind them. At Eve’s concerned look, he said, “For your safety.”

Eve wasn’t sure if that made her feel better or worse. Who in their right mind planned on threatening her safety this early in the morning? And why, of all places, were they meeting in a family practice? Eve assumed that it had to have ties to either the CIA or NSA if they were able to use it so easily. It wasn’t like they had broken in. She wasn’t certain what sort of testing could even be conducted out of a family practice, unless this was just a front for what truly went on behind the scenes. 

Dr. Zarnow, presumably having heard them come in, stepped through the open doors to the hallway on the right side sight of the reception desk. While the door had been propped open, Eve saw that it required a key card to open. No normal family practice would go through that much security. 

Dr. Zarnow was a tall, spindly man, with receding gray hair. He had a serious air about him, and despite the rest of his face showing signs of his age, he had no smile lines around his eyes. He looked older than Konstantin by at least a decade.

He didn’t smile when he spotted Eve; instead, he held out his hand. “Eve, it’s nice to meet you. You can call me Jonas.” 

Eve took it; his palm was warm under her touch. “Nice to meet you as well.”

“Konstantin, it’s been too long. I wish we were meeting again under better circumstances.”

Konstantin chuckled wryly. “Yes, me too.”

Eve expected at least some small chat—asking about families, catching up on jobs, but Jonas went straight to business. Eve supposed there was a reason Konstantin warned her about it. Konstantin lingered by the entrance as Jonas led her to the back of the clinic, once again using a badge to pass through another security checkpoint. By now Eve was absolutely certain that this was some secret, under cover medical clinic for one of the intelligence agencies. 

They ended up in what Eve thought to be an unusually ordinary exam room, at which point Jonas began explaining that before he could conduct any level of testing on the Intersect, it was imperative that he check her vitals. Eve let him take her temperature and pulse and, when nothing was out of the ordinary, let him draw blood, too. He moved quickly and efficiently, which was probably why they’d flown him in from Berlin instead of using a local doctor. It would take at least a day to hear back on her blood, even with a rush job, so Jonas moved them to another room, this one set up with a laptop and monitoring equipment that was attached to another machine. 

Here, Eve paused, drawing in an unsteady breath. Jonas gave her a reassuring nod, so Eve took a seat in front of the laptop. Jonas attached the cords to her head, then clicked a few buttons on the laptop.

“What has caused you to access the Intersect so far?”

“Anything, really,” Eve said. “There hasn’t been a pattern yet as far as I can tell. It could be from someone saying a keyword, or from seeing a face, or from hearing it on the radio.”

“Unfortunately, I didn’t bring any audio with me, but I do have a few images that we imported into the very first Intersect we created. Do you know if you can access the data through images?”

Eve shrugged. “Honestly, I have no idea. Probably. It seems like it’s random.”

Jonas sat at the desk and logged into the panel at the machine, bringing up what looked like Eve’s brain activity. “Random for you, perhaps, but I”m sure there’s a pattern we haven’t discovered yet. Whenever you’re ready, press the spacebar on the laptop for me.”

Eve took a moment to gather her strength. Flashing always seemed to exhaust her, leaving her winded and out of sorts. It wasn’t painful, but it wasn’t exactly enjoyable, either. Her hand shook as she reached out and pressed the key.

A yellow rose popped up on the screen. Eve had just enough time to frown at the image, wondering why someone would show her a rose instead of a person or a name, before it happened. Like always, it felt like she was being pulled underwater. Images flashed by almost too fast for her to process. 

When she came back to herself, she was breathing hard. Zarnow stared at her with a contemplative expression. “What did you see?” he asked.

“A terrorist cell in the Middle East. Their movements, how they spend their money. Their victims.”

Eve kept her eyes away from the screen, worried that she would flash again. Zarnow seemed to notice, because he asked, “If you look at the screen, will you receive the download again?”

Eve hesitated, then looked, eyes half shut in a wince. When nothing happened, she breathed a little easier. “No, just the one I guess.” She studied the rose a little more closely this time, no longer afraid. “How was I able to get that information from this picture?”

Zarnow hummed in contemplation. “The Intersect works off of encrypted data inserted into images.” He spun around in his chair, fully facing Eve now. “I didn’t think it was possible. I didn’t think a human could survive downloading all that information into their brain. Have you noticed any side effects? Is there any pain or discomfort?”

Eve wrapped an arm around herself, feeling rather uncomfortable at Zarnow’s intense scrutiny. She wasn’t quite sure if it had been his words or the building itself finally getting to her, but she found herself shivering. “It feels like I’m drowning,” Eve said, her voice surprisingly steady. “When I flash, I feel like all the air has been sucked from my lungs. It doesn’t hurt, but it doesn’t feel good, either.”

“You stop breathing,” Zarnow suggested. “Your body shuts down as you process the information.”

“That doesn’t sound good.”

“To use your analogy, it’s no different than holding your breath underwater. As long as it isn’t a long download, your body should be okay.” He gestured to the laptop. “Whenever you’re ready, you can press the button again.”

Eve winced. “Another?”

Zarnow nodded. He didn’t even look slightly apologetic at forcing her to flash again. “Unfortunately, we’ll need to run a thorough test. I can’t confirm that you’ve downloaded the entire Intersect by running one test.”

Eve gritted her teeth and pressed the button. 

\---

Eve wasn’t certain how long they had tested for, but by the time Zarnow told her to stop, she was shaky and breathless. She wiped at her nose, noticing that her hand came away bloody. She looked to Zarnow, who frowned but didn’t say anything about it immediately. Instead he said, “You seem very calm.”

Eve let out a disbelieving laugh. “Believe me, I’m far from okay.”

Zarnow shook his head. “This would be difficult for anyone. I’m very pleased you agreed to the testing.”

“I didn’t really have a choice,” Eve retorted. “It was more of an order than an offer.”

“Even still,” Zarnow said.

“Am I done?” Eve asked. She wanted to escape the room, escape the office. She wanted Konstantin to be in the room with her instead of out guarding the door. 

“Almost,” Zarnow replied evenly. “I just have a few more things.”

Eve chewed the inside of her lip. “Okay.”

Zarnow glanced to the door, as if verifying that it was truly shut. Eve followed his gaze, then swallowed hard. Zarnow leaned forward. “The organization you’re helping has a way of making people disappear for saying the wrong thing. Be careful with the information you share.”

Eve frowned. “I’m just sharing what the Intersect tells me. Aren’t you working for the same people as me?” 

Zarnow paused, then nodded. “Just be careful whom you trust. They may seem like they’re helping you now, but not everyone is on the same side.”

“Who?”

But Zarnow was shaking his head quickly, and the door was opening, and suddenly Konstantin was there. He took Eve’s alarmed expression, then frowned. “Eve, why don’t you wait in the lobby as I speak with Jonas?” 

“Okay,” Eve agreed quickly, scrambling up from her seat and heading to the door. Zarnow couldn’t be talking about Konstantin, right? Konstantin was leaving soon; it couldn’t be him. If he were working for the wrong people, wouldn’t he try everything in his power to stay by Eve’s side?

\---

Eve sucked in a deep breath and closed her eyes. Gloria’s Bakery always smelled heavenly, a mix of flour and the sweet scent of sugar. Beside her, Kenny fidgeted nervously. They were on the clock, but Eve had insisted on stopping at the bakery on the way back from their most recent service call.

“Are you ready to order?” Kenny asked. The bakery, located on the outskirts of the city, had a few people seated at the tables lining the windows. There was only one person in line ahead of them, but Eve hadn’t quite decided what to order yet. She pressed her hand against the glass display case, admiring the pastries within.

The bear claws looked especially appetizing, especially after the long morning she’d had. That was a new side effect of the Intersect—her appetite had increased. She could already taste the sweet almond paste within. It would go perfectly with a cup of coffee from the machine behind the counter. 

The donuts on the shelf below looked just as good, though, with bits of chocolate sprinkled over the frosting. Eve trailed her hands down to read the description, only to be distracted by the pastry on the next shelf over. 

Kenny sighed and glanced at his phone, checking the time. “Eve, we’ve got to get back.”

“Give me a minute,” Eve said. “Let me think. This is really important.”

The customer in front of them finished placing his order and stepped away from the counter. Kenny started forward, but Eve remained stubbornly in place. A croissant sounded good, and Gloria’s Bakery had the most buttery, flakey croissants in town. They might not be as good as the ones Villanelle could get in Paris, but these were no doubt a close second. 

Croissant it was. Maybe she'd get two of them just so she could share with Villanelle. That was almost too nice, though. She waffled a bit more, trying to decide if Villanelle really deserved a treat after what she'd put Eve through these past few days. She wasn't even certain she'd see Villanelle today; they didn't have plans, and after their conversation yesterday, it was unlikely that Villanelle would make contact. One croissant, then, and also a coffee. 

She turned to the counter, satisfied with her decision, but before she could begin to place her order, the phone behind the counter rang. The cashier sent Eve an apologetic smile and held up a finger as she answered the phone.

"Gloria's Bakery, how may I help you?" she asked. There was a pause as she listened to the answer on the other side. 

When it looked like they’d be waiting a while, Kenny dug out his phone and started scrolling through. Eve peered over, curious as to what social media Kenny might use, but it was an article about newly released graphics cards. Eve sighed and turned her attention back to the pasties.

"Oh yes, thank you so much for calling to check in on your order. Yes, I do remember: three-tiered dark chocolate and raspberry for Victor Petrov. We have it right on the schedule here. Did you want me to confirm your address?" Another pause as the woman checked a notebook behind the counter. "I have 1370 Sailfish Quay, delivery scheduled for 10 AM on the fourteenth. Is that correct?" 

There might have been more, but Eve didn’t get a chance to hear it, because the Intersect pulled her under, the logo for Vaughn's Flowers front and center in her mind, followed by flashes of Victor Petrov. He made his money primarily through importing drugs into the United States. There was a new drug on the streets, a stronger and more dangerous type of heroin that Victor was responsible for importing. He also had a mean streak that led him to working with Jacob Michelson. Eve saw files of domestic abuse charges and a number of divorce cases that had ended poorly for his ex-wives. He had one son through his first marriage, who he had, of course, named after himself. And like most criminal enterprises, or at least the ones she’d seen in movies, Victor Jr. was learning how to take over the family business. They were celebrating his recent engagement at his father’s house, which was nearly impenetrable with its state of the art security. 

Eve clutched the countertop. Oh god, that wasn't good. Anyone tied to Jacob Michelson was an immediate threat. She had to tell someone about this, but she still hadn't gotten Villanelle's phone number, and she hadn't bothered asking for Raymond's. She would find Konstantin later, somehow, and tell him. 

But first, she had to start acting normal, because Kenny had put down his phone and was giving her a concerned look. 

"Are you okay?" he asked. 

Eve chuckled, but it sounded nervous and breathless even to her own ears. "I'm just hungry, that's all. I haven't eaten breakfast yet." And at least that was typical behavior. Eve forgot to take care of herself all the time; Kenny was well aware of that. His expression softened somewhat, but he still was studying her features with a renewed interest. 

"You look like you've seen a ghost or something," he said.

"I'm lightheaded, that's all." Eve put a hand to her head and smiled at him. "Once I have something to eat I'll be fine."

Thankfully, Kenny didn't get a chance to pry any further, because the cashier was finally turning to them and apologizing for having to take the phone call. Eve sighed one brief, nearly breathless sigh and ordered herself two croissants. 

\---

Eve was sprawled out on the couch, watching brainless television with Elena beside her. Originally, Elena had been determined to work, but once Eve had turned on a trashy reality show, Elena had set her work laptop down and become fully invested. 

With popcorn between them and wine glasses recently refilled, Eve was feeling pretty good about her decision to relax tonight. She needed a night away from the insanity that was her new life. She also needed to tell someone about her flash she'd experienced at the bakery, but Jonas's words kept ringing in her ears. She just needed to think about it, let the words settle before she told anyone. It wasn't like they had immediate access to Victor, anyway. One night wouldn’t hurt. She could trust her handlers. She would tell them soon. But first, she wanted to relax.

When the reality show cut to commercial, Eve tossed a handful of popcorn in her mouth before taking a long sip of wine. This was her second glass, and the alcohol coursed warmly through her. Between the food and her comfortable loungewear, she might just melt onto the couch. 

Her eyes were just fluttering shut when there was a knock on the door. Elena turned to Eve, frowning. "Are you expecting anyone?" she asked.

Eve thought for a moment, then shook her head. "No."

Elena popped up from her seat, and before Eve could even begin to think to stop her, had already opened the door. 

"Hi?" Elena said. It came out as more of a question. The door blocked the majority of Eve's view, and Elena's body in the doorway blocked the rest. Eve tensed on the couch. She should have gotten it. She jumped from the couch, barely managing to catch the popcorn bowl before it spilled all over the place. 

"You must be Elena! It’s so nice to meet you. Eve’s told me so much about you." 

The familiar voice made Eve stop cold in her tracks. Her heart pounded in her throat. Oh god. What was Villanelle doing here? Hadn't they just agreed on personal boundaries the night before? 

She was torn between her emotions. On the one hand, she should be furious. Villanelle agreed to take it slow. Showing up at Eve's apartment was decidedly not slow. But on the other hand...Villanelle knew where she lived. She hadn't seen Villanelle all day and here she was. Eve wanted to know how she looked. Had she dressed up to see Eve? The attention was flattering. How could it not be?

“All good things, I hope,” Elena was in the middle of saying when Eve stepped in behind her. There was a knowing glint in her eye as she turned around to Eve, who pushed the door open wider so that she could see Villanelle.

And oh, what a sight. Eve’s breath hitched as she took in the flowers Villanelle held. It was a massive bouquet, almost comically large when compared to Villanelle’s sturdy frame. Red roses, a whole bouquet full of them. There were easily three dozen, if not more. Eve wasn’t sure if it was intentional, but Villanelle’s outfit matched perfectly.

When Villanelle caught Eve’s eye, her polite smile turned into something else entirely. Eve felt desire and frustration curl up her spine. Villanelle shouldn’t be here. And yet...

“Hi, Eve,” Villanelle said. “I wasn’t sure what kind of flowers you liked.”

“So you bought out all the roses,” Eve said, not unkindly, but there was a slight edge of sarcasm. An elbow jabbed into her side, but Eve didn’t dare turn away from Villanelle.

“She likes lilies,” Elena supplied helpfully. “Villanelle, was it? Why don’t you come inside?”

Eve bit at her lip to stop from protesting the invitation. Her lip throbbed, and she tasted blood. She wiped at the wound with her tongue. Villanelle’s eyes followed the movement before she looked back to Elena.

“I would love to, thank you.” 

Eve wished she could say she’d fallen for that same fake politeness, swayed by the shy smile playing across Villanelle’s lips and the way her eyes darted between Elena and Eve like she was uncertain. But no, she’d fallen for a different trick entirely—how had Villanelle known that Eve would be intrigued by her rude, brash behavior? Better yet, which was the real Villanelle?

Elena tugged at Eve’s wrist, pulling her back into the apartment so Villanelle had room to step in. As she moved past Eve, Villanelle handed her the bouquet. It smelled heavenly, but Eve wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of smelling the roses. Not yet, not where Villanelle could see.

Elena was already stepping into the kitchen and filling up a vase. Villanelle lingered by Eve, her face once again dropping into a more serious expression. 

“What are you doing here?” Eve hissed, quietly enough not to be heard over the running water. 

“Play along,” Villanelle whispered back, equally as quiet. Her accent had slipped a bit, a combination of her regular voice mixed with some off brand American accent. “I need to talk with you. It’s urgent.”

The water cut off, also cutting off any response Eve might have given. Instead, she shifted the roses onto her hip and stepped into the kitchen, leaving Villanelle alone in the living room. Elena raised both eyebrows in her direction before nodding to the living room.

“Oh my god, Eve! You’re dating her?”

“Dating is a strong word.”

Elena slapped her arm playfully. “If you’re not going to date her, I will. Oh my god. You didn’t tell me.” She took the roses and tried to fit them into the vase, but only half would fit. 

Eve hesitated, torn between listening to Elena rambling about how gorgeous Villanelle was or going back out to Villanelle, where she had to maintain their cover story. It was one thing to insist on no PDA at work, but in her apartment, the rules were entirely different. Elena had been friends with Eve for long enough to know how Eve acted around a significant other. 

Elena was starting to look at her funny, and was likely ten seconds away from insisting that Eve join Villanelle, so Eve begrudgingly left the safety of the kitchen. She found Villanelle staring at a framed photo of Elena and Eve, back from their college days. God, that had been too many years ago to count.

Eve gestured to the photo and laughed. “God, I wish I still looked like that.” In the photo, she was smiling, carefree and happy, Elena wrapped around her. Eve’s graduation cap was askew, tassel nearly in her face. Her hair was wild and tangled around her from the heavy wind.

“I don’t,” Villanelle said immediately. “You’re even more beautiful now.” If there were ever a time Eve wished she could tell when Villanelle was lying or being truthful, she wished it was right now. Unbidden, her cheeks heated up and she knew without a doubt that she was blushing. Villanelle set the frame back where she found it. 

“Liar,” Eve said, just to see what Villanelle would do. 

Villanelle reached forward slowly enough that Eve could pull away if she wanted to. She didn’t. Villanelle’s fingers tugged at the hair tie holding Eve’s hair in a bun. “Can I?” Villanelle asked, voice so low Eve could barely make out the words. Eve, not trusting her voice, nodded instead. Villanelle pulled once and suddenly Eve’s hair was falling around her face. “See? Beautiful.”

Eve took a step back. Villanelle let her hand drop to her side, but her eyes never left Eve’s messy hair. 

“Villanelle, can I get you anything to drink?” Elena asked from the other room. And oh god, Eve had completely forgotten Elena was here. She could have stepped in and seen them—doing what, exactly? Acting like two people dating should? Eve didn’t even know anymore.

“Water would be great, thank you.” The American accent was back. The transition was jarring; Eve almost wished she’d insisted Villanelle use her own voice. 

“You’re supposed to say no to that,” Eve said. “She was just being polite.”

Villanelle made a face. “But I’m thirsty. Why would I say no?”

Eve shook her head, but stopped quickly as Elena came out of the kitchen with a glass full of water. Villanelle made sure to keep full eye contact with Eve as she took it from Elena and took a long sip, draining half the glass. A drop of water lingered on her bottom lip; she swiped it away with her tongue. 

“The flowers are gorgeous,” Elena said. “That was so thoughtful of you to bring them over.”

“Yes,” Eve said, holding back a sigh. “Just amazing.”

Villanelle smiled bashfully, eyes darting to the floor. “I’m glad you like them. We had such a wonderful time the other night, and I just wanted to do something nice for you.”

And oh, that was a little thick. Eve shook her head minutely, hoping Villanelle would see and cut it out. Elena was too smart for Villanelle to play around like this. Elena’s eyes were already narrowing in thought, a wrinkle forming in her brow. This image was already not matching the one Eve had painted for Elena the first evening. 

Eve, deciding to take control of the situation, forced out a laugh and said, “Yeah, sure, okay. I think you were probably feeling guilty about that first day where you said I was terrible at my job.”

Villanelle shrugged. “Fine, maybe.” That was more like Villanelle, unapologetic to a fault. 

The television blared behind them. While Elena had gotten water, the show had come back on. With Villanelle standing next to her, it seemed sillier now, less enthralling. Her whole body was awake, thrumming with energy.

Elena looked like she was brimming with questions, but doing an admirable job of holding back. So instead, she did the next worst thing. “Villanelle, I’m making lasagna from scratch tomorrow. Would you like to join us for dinner?” Quickly, before Eve could protest, she added, “I already invited Kenny over, so it would be nice to have another person at the dinner table for Eve to talk to.”

Villanelle’s features brightened immediately. It was like the sun was shining directly down on her. “I would love that,” she said, not sparing a glance toward Eve. “That’s so kind of you to offer. Is there something I could bring?”

“No! Of course not. Just you.”

Wow, Elena might just have a crush on Eve’s girlfriend. Fake girlfriend. Eve squared her shoulders even as dread pooled in her stomach. There would be no getting out of this, even if she used words like “too soon” later when she and Elena were alone. Villanelle had sparked Elena’s curiosity, which wasn’t good when they clearly had something to hide. “Villanelle, aren’t you working tomorrow night?” She asked. 

“No,” Villanelle said, drawing out the word. “No, I don’t think I am.”

“Perfect,” Elena said. She glanced between the two of them and then did what was easily the worst fake yawn Eve had ever seen. “I think I might go to bed early tonight. Good night, Eve. Villanelle, it was so nice to meet you.” 

When Elena shut the door to her bedroom, Eve tugged Villanelle onto the couch. She made sure to keep her voice down, but she didn’t bother to keep the anger out of it now. “What are you doing here? We talked about boundaries, and what do you do? Break them immediately.”

Villanelle’s placid expression turned sharp. “I’m here for a reason.” At Eve’s inquisitive stare, she softened somewhat, hand coming out to reach between them on the couch for some measure of support as she said, “Zarnow is dead.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one of my favorite chapters to date. Enjoy!

“That’s not possible. He can’t be dead. I just saw him this morning.”

Villanelle’s brow rose slightly, but she didn’t say anything at Eve’s useless denial. Eve shook her head, hair falling into her face. Her hand shook as she tucked her hair behind her ears.

Finally, after a long moment of painful silence, Eve asked, “Was it you?” She regretted it immediately, but she refused to apologize.

Villanelle pulled her hand away. “No.” The one word was curt and sharp.

“What happened?” Eve asked.

Villanelle plucked at the fabric of her pants. “His car exploded as he was driving. Konstantin is looking into it.”

Another explosion. Eve could feel the panic boil inside of her. Jonas had warned her this morning, told her to be cautious, and now he was dead. “Oh my god,” Eve breathed. “He was right.”

“Right about what?”

Eve hadn’t realized she’d said that last part out loud. “Nothing,” she said quickly, and it was a little too obvious. Villanelle narrowed her eyes, leaving Eve scrambling for an excuse. “He mentioned something offhand earlier, that’s all. Something about not feeling safe.”

“Do you not feel safe, Eve?”

Eve shifted on the couch. “I’m not sure,” she admitted. “I would have said yes, earlier, but now I’m not so sure.”

“Mm. Okay. But he’s dead and you’re not.”

Eve let out a long sigh. “He was supposed to help me, Villanelle. What am I supposed to do now? I may be safe from the rest of the world, but what about you?”

“I’m not going to hurt you,” Villanelle said, exasperated. “We’ve been over this a million times. God, is that all you think about?”

“I’m sorry my emotions are inconvenient for you! You just told me that someone you work with was murdered, and now you’re annoyed that I’m upset about it?” 

Villanelle settled further onto the couch, head tilting to the side as she stared at Eve. “Do you trust me, Eve?”

Eve faltered. To buy herself time, she reached for her wine glass. There wasn’t much left, but she only needed one sip to put her thoughts in order. The wine warmed her, giving her the courage to mutter, “That’s a big question.”

“It shouldn’t be.”

“Yeah, well, it’s not a simple yes or no.”

“It should be.”

“You tried to kill me.”

Villanelle rolled her eyes. “That was one time.”

“One time too many,” Eve snapped. She set her wineglass down with a little more force than necessary. “Did I seriously look like a threat to you?”

Villanelle shrugged. “You caught me off guard. I wasn’t sure what to think.”

And for someone who normally enjoyed getting a rise out of Eve more than telling the truth, Villanelle’s words were surprisingly honest. Eve wet her lips. “Oh. Is that supposed to flatter me?”

Villanelle didn’t reply, but she didn’t look away either. 

Eve decided to try a new tactic. “I’m trying to trust you, but you’re not making it easy. I’m going to need more than a few days to get over what I watched you do to Nakkia. I know you’re good at your job, so if your job is to protect me, then I know I’m safe.”

“Okay.”

“That’s it?”

“Yes, that’s it.” Villanelle turned to fully face Eve. “You can’t trust Raymond.”

Eve huffed out a laugh. “That’s what this whole conversation was about? Just so you could tell me not to trust Raymond?” Villanelle nodded, and Eve sobered immediately. “What? Why? I mean, he’s a total dick, but isn’t he on our side?”

Villanelle pulled a plastic bag from her pocket and handed it to Eve. “We found this near the car.”

Eve sucked in a deep breath, already anticipating what would happen next. At first glance, it looked like a normal—albeit burnt—phone. Then the flashes began. Not a phone, but an NSA incinerator, designed to eliminate all biological traces. Eve saw a few examples, or rather, the lack of remaining evidence. Everything was gone, leaving behind only scorched earth. It was the shortest flash yet, but after accessing the Intersect for as long as she already had that morning, Eve’s head pounded. She pressed a hand to her temple, willing the throbbing to go away. 

“You couldn’t have just told me about it?” she asked through gritted teeth. She set the bag down between them. Villanelle put it back in her pocket.

“You just told me that you didn’t trust me. Clearly you needed to see for yourself.”

She had Eve there. “Fuck,” Eve said. “That one hurt.” She leaned back and shut her eyes, focusing on taking slow, calming breaths. It helped a little, but not enough. 

“Do you need me to get you something?”

“No, I’ll take something in a few minutes if it doesn’t go away. That’s not as important as…” Eve opened her eyes. “Do you really think Raymond did this?”

Villanelle shrugged. “He doesn’t know that we know. Just be careful around him, Eve. Don’t trust him. He won’t risk your life, but there’s no telling what else he’s capable of.”

“Raymond is dangerous. Got it.”

Villanelle’s brows furrowed slightly. “I’m serious, Eve. I can’t always be there to protect you without him getting suspicious. You need to be careful.”

Eve narrowed her eyes in thought. “But why would he kill Jonas? It doesn’t make any sense. Jonas was there to help me. Clearly somebody trusted him, otherwise he wouldn’t have been told about me.”

“I told you everything I know. Are you going to trust me on this, or are we going to spend the next hour arguing about it? It’s like you have a death wish.”

“No, I don’t.” Eve sighed. “How am I supposed to be careful when he lives next door? He works with me, Villanelle! How am I supposed to stay safe when he’s the human equivalent to my shadow?”

“Don’t be alone with him, and don’t make him suspicious.”

“You’re asking a lot.” Eve let out a sigh. “How do you know he won’t take one look at me and be able to tell that I know something is wrong?”

“Act.”

Eve scoffed. “Because that’s gone so well so far.”

“You almost fooled me,” Villanelle said.

“What? When?”

“I thought you liked me.”

Eve’s breath hitched, but before she could reply, Villanelle continued. “But now that I know you better, I know that your acting skills are shit. You really need to work on them before tomorrow.”

“What’s tomorrow?” Eve asked, thrown completely for a loop. 

“Dinner with Elena.”

\---

Eve slept fitfully that night, replaying Jonas’s words over and over in her mind. It was a blessing in disguise that Kenny received back-to-back calls their entire shift at work. Eve only went into the Buy More at the start and end of her shift to clock in and out, and to exchange car keys between the Nerd Herd vehicle and her personal car. She spotted Raymond during both visits, and had enough time to duck behind rows to avoid him. Villanelle was right; her acting needed work, and she didn’t want to practice starting with Raymond.

She ended her shift with a tension headache, but that was easily solved with some medicine. One problem down, one to go. She drove home a nervous wreck, glancing at the clock whenever she hit a traffic light and spent the time calculating just how long she had to prepare before Villanelle arrived for dinner. She was currently down to forty minutes. Hardly enough time at all.

She’d offered Kenny a ride back to the apartment, but he’d flushed a bright pink and assured her that someone would drop him off later. By someone, he meant his mother, but Eve decided to let it slip for now. He was likely as nervous as she was about this evening if his behavior was anything to go off of. 

She hadn’t spoken to Villanelle since the night before, but she had convinced her to exchange phone numbers and pass along Konstantin's as well. She’d spoken to Konstainin earlier that day about her flash on Victor. By the time they hung up, it sounded like he already had an idea brewing about how they could get a hold of him. What he didn’t have, however, was more information on Zarnow’s death. Eve felt like she was just as in the dark about it as she had been last night when Villanelle told her. 

When she finally arrived home, the apartment smelled heavenly, a mixture of melted cheese and the sharp scent of basil and tomatoes filling the air. Eve breathed in deeply, and some of the tension eased from her body. The rest of the night might go horribly, but at least she would have delicious food and wine. Maybe she could get through this evening drunk. But no, there was no telling how she would react around VIllanelle if she wasn’t in her right mind. Would she want to fight with her or kiss her? Fight her, probably. Villanelle was infuriating. 

Eve kicked off her shoes at the entryway and was about to leave them there when Elena skirted into view. Eve stared at her with widened eyes. 

“Closet,” Elena said, pointing behind Eve. Eve followed her instructions, feeling like a little kid being scolded for bringing dirt into the house. She then hesitated, trying to figure out what to do with her purse before ultimately deciding to just leave it in her bedroom as opposed to out in the open. This time around, at least, Villanelle wouldn’t go searching through it for anything, so it probably would have been safe to leave lying around. 

Thirty-five minutes now. Eve tossed her purse onto her bed and tore through her closet. She hadn’t been nervous before, but with each passing minute, she was beginning to realize that she was in no way prepared for this evening. She found a small black dress at the back of her closet, but it was way too fancy for a casual dinner with her fake girlfriend, Elena, and Kenny. Or was it? Elena hadn’t given a dress code, but Villanelle was likely to go all out, either to get a rise out of Eve or try to impress Elena. Eve wasn’t sure which; maybe it wasn’t one or the other, but both.

Frantic, Eve dug back into her ex-work box and pulled out a black turtleneck and another pair of gray slacks. It wasn’t much, but it would have to do given the short amount of time she had left.

She was putting the finishing touches on her makeup when the doorbell rang. Eve froze, mascara applicator halfway between her face and the tube. She heard Elena’s enthusiastic greeting followed by Kenny’s deeper timber. Eve let out a shaky breath and brought the applicator to her lashes. It went on heavier than she’d intended, the makeup clumpy and sticking her lashes together. She let out a string of curses as she tried to undo some of the damage.

Several minutes later, she ended up applying more mascara to her other eye, hoping it would all balance out. Besides, it didn’t look so bad from far away--it was almost a smokey look, when paired with her eyeshadow and dark turtleneck. And if that didn’t do the trick, well, then maybe her hair might. She left it down, letting her curls pile wildly around her face. She took one final look in the mirror and shrugged, conceding that this was the best she could do given the amount of time she had. 

Kenny and Elena were seated on opposite sides of the couch when Eve came out of the bathroom. She looked between the two of them, noticing how deliberate the space between them was.

“Hi, Kenny,” she said as she settled onto the rarely used recliner on the opposite side of the living room. “Get over here okay?”

“Hey.” Kenny wiped his palms on his pant legs. “Yeah, just fine. No issues.”

Elena smiled adoringly at him, but Kenny was too busy looking anywhere but at Elena to notice.

“How was work?” Elena asked before an awkward silence could fill the room. Kenny mumbled out an answer, but Eve was saved from replying by the doorbell ringing again. Although, was it really saving if her life was about to get more complicated the second she opened that door? 

She both dreaded and longed for it. Her hand shook ever so slightly as she reached for the door knob. She released a slow breath, hoping to calm her nerves. Villanelle didn’t deserve the satisfaction of knowing just how she affected Eve.

And yet, as Eve pulled open the door, she couldn’t keep her calm facade up. Villanelle was breathtaking, even more so than usual. She wore her hair down, softening her normally sharp features. It fell gently around her shoulders and curled ever so slightly at the ends.

She wore a black sleeveless jumpsuit that dipped low enough to give Eve a tantalizing view of her cleavage. Eve spotted a faint dusting of freckles before she realized just how intently she’d been staring. Her cheeks burned as her gaze flickered up to catch Villanelle’s eye. 

“See something you like?” Villanelle asked, a smile playing at her lips. She placed a hand on her hip, which somehow accentuated her curves even more, and oh, that just wasn’t fair. Villanelle knew exactly what she was doing.

“Yes,” Eve said, voice huskier than normal. She gestured to Villanelle’s free hand. “The dessert looks amazing.” She wasn’t lying at least, her eyes quickly panning over to the tray of chocolate dipped strawberries, each more gorgeous than the last. Eve recognized the label stamped on the cover, though she’d never stepped foot into the expensive bakery.

Villanelle’s smile remained stubbornly in place, but her eyes lost a little of their gleam. “Eve.”

“Hm?”

“Are you going to let me in?”

“Oh.”

So maybe Eve hadn’t won after all. She stepped back, giving Villanelle more than enough space to step into the apartment without touching, which of course meant that Villanelle did everything in her power to brush against Eve. And god, Eve was weak, so weak, because as Villanelle’s arm brushed against hers, Eve wished she’d worn something without sleeves just so she could feel Villanelle’s skin against hers.

Villanelle leaned in closer still, her scent flooding Eve’s whole world and making her brain short circuit. “Eve, don’t freak out, but I’m going to kiss you now, okay?” Her warm breath tickled against Eve’s ear and sent bolts of electricity shooting down Eve’s spine.

She could barely breathe, let alone respond. She hadn’t touched a drop of wine all evening, but it felt like she’d downed an entire bottle. “What?”

Villanelle was already pulling back and Eve had just enough time to take in one final, hitched breath before--it was too soon, Eve hadn’t had enough time to prepare. Vilanelle’s lips brushed against her cheek, soft, so soft that Eve barely felt it.

“That’s it?” Eve asked, louder than she’d intended.

Villanelle’s brow rose. “We’re taking it slow,” Villanelle reminded her, volume matching Eve’s. She glanced over Eve’s shoulder. “Hi, Elena, so nice to see you again.”

Oh, right. They had an audience. Eve completely forgot. Villanelle had kissed her cheek because they both had a role to play. She hadn’t meant it.

Villanelle stepped gracefully around Eve. This time, despite how close they still were, Villanelle didn’t brush against her once. She’d proven her point, and Eve was sufficiently shaken.

The door was still open, letting in the warm evening air as well as a few bugs. Eve hastened to shut it. Her heart still pounded when she turned back around, but at least Villanelle’s perfume was weaker now, less intoxicating. Eve could breathe a little easier, especially now that Villanelle’s back was turned to her as Elena introduced her to Kenny.

“You didn’t have to bring anything,” Elena mused as she took the proffered dessert from Villanelle. She set it dead center on the table, which already had plates and cutlery placed neatly at each setting. 

“It was the least I could do,” Villanelle said with a small shrug. “Dinner smells amazing. Lasagna, you said?”

Elena melted under Villanelle’s praise. “Old family recipe,” she said with a conspiratorial wink. “My grandmother and I used to cook together all the time. I don’t have as much free time as I used to, but every now and then I like to make something from scratch.”

“I can’t wait to try it,” Villanelle said before turning to Eve. “Do you cook as well, Eve?”

Elena burst out laughing, and Kenny followed a moment later. Eve glared at the two of them, but it only made Elena laugh harder. “Eve could burn water,” Elena managed to say through her laughter. 

“I’m great at ordering takeout,” Eve offered. “I know all the best places around here.”

To her credit, Villanelle didn’t falter for a split second. Unlike Eve, her acting was seamless. “You’ll have to show me sometime,” Villanelle said with a slight lilt in her voice. To really sell it, she dipped her head to the side, eyes focused entirely on Eve. “We could do takeout and a movie?”

“I’d love to,” Eve said, though it sounded forced to her ears. How did Villanelle make ordering takeout sound romantic?

Elena’s gaze darted between the two of them. Kenny cleared his throat and shifted his weight between his feet. He’d stood to shake Villanelle’s hand, but hadn’t settled back onto the couch yet. 

Eve offered to grab everyone drinks to break the tension and to possibly escape lest Villanelle try to come up with additional cover dates to sell their relationship. She filled four glasses with red wine. It wasn’t her proudest moment, but she downed the entirety of her glass and filled it again before leaving the kitchen. At some point she’d have to stop relying on liquid courage, but tonight wasn’t that night.

Kenny and Elena were back on the couch, though this time the gap was slightly smaller. Villanelle sat on the recliner like it was her throne--arms resting on either side and legs spread wide. Unless Eve wanted to remain standing or squeeze in between Elena and Kenny, her only option was to join Villanelle, who appeared to have already thought that through, because as soon as Eve handed off drinks to Elena and Keny, she patted the armrest.

She dragged her feet as she moved toward the recliner. At least a kiss on the cheek was brief and fleeting. She couldn’t back down now, though, not without Elena wondering why she’d suddenly changed her mind. This was fake, she reminded herself, Villanelle would touch her, but it was fake and meaningless. 

The hair on the back of her arms rose in anticipation of whatever Villanelle might do next as Eve settled onto one of the armrests. She was on high alert, shoulders tense and back straight. Villanelle reached up to brush her fingers against Eve’s leg.

Eve shivered at the touch. This had to be pushing it too far. She’d never been like this with Niko, at least not beyond their first year of marriage. She never felt like she had to be glued to his side, like they were one whole person and not two separate halves. Soulmates were fake, something found only in movies and fairytales. This was real life. She could do this; she could put on a show. Slowly, so slowly, she took the hand lingering on her leg and intertwined their fingers.

Villanelle’s hand was smooth and warm beneath hers, pleasant despite the unfamiliarity of the gesture. Eve relaxed a little, shoulders losing their tension. If all she had to do to sell their relationship was hold hands and let Villanelle kiss her on the cheek, well, she could manage that.

If only Villanelle was on the same page. Seemingly bored of their rather G-rated affection toward one another, Villanelle began to tug on Eve’s hand. Eve almost fell onto Villanelle’s lap; the only thing keeping her in place was her white-knuckled grip on the recliner. 

“Baby, aren’t you going to sit next to me?”

They hadn’t discussed pet names. Oh god, how had Eve forgotten about that? And of all the names she could have chosen, why had Villanelle gone with ‘baby’? Eve’s blood boiled.

“I  _ am  _ sitting next to you, honey,” Eve said through gritted teeth. “Any closer and I’d be on top of you.”

Villanelle’s smile turned dangerous, and Eve realized too late that she’d said exactly the wrong thing. It was a challenge now, and Villanelle would do anything she could to come out victorious. 

The oven timer buzzed. Eve had never been more relieved to hear it in her entire life. 

She leapt up and shook her hand free from Villanelle’s. Villanelle pouted at her, but Eve turned away, ignoring her. “I’ll check it,” she said with far too much enthusiasm.

Elena frowned, but didn’t protest. Eve rushed into the kitchen. The lasagna was golden brown and bubbling. That meant it was ready, right? It smelled ready, anyway.

Eve located the oven mitts and pulled the dish out, the menial task taking her mind off of what awaited her back in the living room. What she hadn’t expected, however, was for Elena to follow her into the kitchen.

“Hey, are you okay?” Elena asked, voice low enough so the sound wouldn’t carry beyond their small kitchen. “You seem really tense.”

Eve snorted. If only Elena knew the half of it. “I’m fine,” Eve lied. She set the lasagna down onto the stovetop with more force than necessary. “It’s just…” She turned to face Elena. “Did you really have to invite her?”

Elena’s brow wrinkled in confusion. “Did I have to invite your girlfriend? Well, no, but I thought you would want her here. You complained about being the third wheel the last time I invited Kenny over for dinner, so I thought…”

“It’s fine,” Eve cut in. “It’s not a big deal.” She pulled the oven mitts off and ran a hand through her hair. The back of her neck was warm, too warm, and she wished she had a hair tie on hand to pull it back. “It’s just a little soon, you know? This feels like such a huge step for having known her less than a week.”

“I’m sorry,” Elena said, eyes widening. “I didn’t realize you would be this upset about it. You seem to really like her. Do you want me to fake a stomach virus and send them both home?”

Despite herself, Eve laughed. “No, no. I’m okay.” She chewed at her lip. Villanelle would kill her if she ruined their cover so soon. Okay, maybe not kill her--that was the wrong word to use, given Villanelle’s background--but definitely become even more over the top at selling this. “I think I just needed a moment to breathe. This is all so new to me, you know?”

“I know. And for the record, it seems like she really, really likes you, too,” Elena assured, a smile playing at her lips.

“Yeah,” Eve agreed. Villanelle did a fantastic job. It was almost too good, too believable this early on into their relationship. Eve would never be able to match her. She might not be great at acting, but she was a master at redirecting. She’d done it enough with Noko over the course of their marriage. “What do we do now? Is it ready?”

Elena peered at the dish. “It looks perfect.”

The living room was silent when they came back out, Elena with the dish and Eve with another bottle of wine. Villanelle and Kenny were on their phones, though both looked up when Elena cleared her throat. Eve couldn’t imagine that Elena had pictured this outcome when she’d invited them to a dinner party. Wasn’t there supposed to be more laughter and chatting?

Elena seemed happy enough to fulfill the role of hostess, directing them each to a seat. As they settled in and served themselves piles of the steaming lasagna, Elena asked, “So, Villanelle, where are you originally from?” 

“Seattle,” Villanelle said easily enough. “I just moved to the area a few weeks ago. It’s been so lovely getting to know Eve. I was worried that I wouldn’t find anyone here.” She grabbed at Eve’s hand under the table, even though Elena couldn’t see the gesture. Eve allowed it briefly before pulling away.

“Did you come here for work?” Elena pressed on.

Villanelle nodded and then stuffed a large chunk of lasagna into her mouth. 

Villanelle was graceful in all things except eating. A little piece of red sauce stuck to the corner of her mouth. She chewed noisily and with great enthusiasm, eyes fluttering a little as she savored the flavor of the lasagna.

With her mouth still half full, she said, "This is delicious." She swallowed, then wiped at her mouth with the napkin she had yet to place on her lap. She dumped it back onto the table and used her fork to cut another large chunk off of her piece of lasagna. She shoved the chunk into her mouth as well, avoiding any further conversation from Elena. 

Eve took a small bite. It was almost too hot to eat without burning her mouth; she wasn't sure how Villanelle had done it without gulping down her wine. 

"Thank you," Elena said, shooting Eve an amused look.

Dinner progressed easily, with more eating than talking. Eve, now onto her third glass of wine, was beginning to care less and less about whether they maintained conversation. She was content to lean back and watch as Kenny tried not so subtly to flirt with Elena, ears bright red the whole time. Villanelle took seconds, then a tiny portion of thirds, like she hadn't eaten all day. 

After dinner had finished, Elena quietly took to doing the dishes while Kenny hovered nearby, leaving Eve to spend time alone with Villanelle or hover in the kitchen as well. She chose the latter, though that turned out to backfire as Elena handed Eve the full trash and asked her to take it out. 

Eve half expected Villanelle to accompany her to the garbage bin, citing Eve's protection, but she remained behind. 

It was cool outside, the heat from the day having long since disappeared. Eve sucked in a breath and hastened her step, eager to get back into the apartment. It was for this reason alone that she missed someone standing in the shadows until it was too late.

Eve tossed the bag into the container and turned around, mind already on dessert when a figure stepped out. Eve yelped, then placed a hand over her heart when she recognized who it was. 

"What are you doing out here?" she asked Raymond. 

Raymond clasped his hands in front of him. "You've been avoiding me."

Eve scoffed. "I have not."

"I watched you hide behind a cutout of Superman earlier."

"Shit."

"You need to work on your subtlety."

"Everyone keeps saying that," Eve said. "Am I really that bad?"

Raymond pressed his lips together instead of answering. 

Eve sighed. "Is there a reason you're out here?"

"I was waiting for you."

Well, that was a little creepy. Eve folded her arms across her chest. "Why?" The longer she kept him talking, the higher her chances were that Villanelle would come investigate her absence. Villanelle said not to trust him, but surely this was okay? It wasn't like Raymond would hurt her. At least, she hoped not.

"I need to talk to you." Raymond stepped closer. Eve took a huge step back. "What did she tell you?"

"Nothing," Eve said, lying through her teeth. It was starting to become easier; she wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.

"I don't believe you." To prove his point, Raymond took another step forward, and Eve leaped back a step, almost ramming into the garbage container behind her in her haste to get away from him. Raymond let out a humorless laugh. "She told you not to trust me, didn't she?"

Eve gripped onto the cool metal behind her. "She may have said something like that, yes."

"Predictable. And she thought that you could avoid me?"

Eve had been doing a good enough job of it. "I wasn't expecting you to ambush me by the garbage." Eve cleared her throat. "She's going to come out here any minute."

"This won't take long." Raymond squared his shoulders. Eve's grip tightened to the point where she could feel the metal biting into her skin.

"Don't hurt me."

"I'm not going to hurt you." Raymond sighed. "What I've been trying to tell you all day is: Villanelle can't be trusted."

Eve gaped at him. "You can't be serious. You expect me to believe you over her? I'm sorry, but at least she didn't try to kill me when we first met."

"I don't need you to believe me. I have proof."

"Proof of what, exactly?"

"Proof that you can't trust Villanelle, or Konstantin, for that matter."

Eve let go of the metal. Her hand stung, but she didn't so much as glance at her new injury. 

"What sort of proof?" Eve glanced down to see if he was holding anything, but Raymond's hands were empty. "You're crazy if you think I'm following you into your apartment." 

"Not physical proof." Raymond came closer, and this time Eve didn't back away. "I don't need it."

"You're doing a terrible job getting me to trust you over her."

Raymond shook his head. "No, I'm not. I'm savoring the moment."

"What do you have?" Eve asked, growing frustrated. Only Raymond would keep her holding out like this.

"A name."

Eve's body slumped. "A name? Really? That's what your proof is?"

"It's all I need."

Raymond's confidence was over the top. His smugness sickened Eve. She should have escaped, should have ran as soon as she saw his form. Villanelle would know what to do with him. Except...

"Whose name?"

"Villanelle's real name. The one she's hiding from you."

Oh. Of course it was. The one thing Villanelle had refused to answer, and here Raymond was offering it to her on a silver tray. "I'm not sure how that's going to give me all the proof I need," Eve said slowly. And then, quite suddenly, it hit her. "Oh god," Eve breathed. "She's in the Intersect."


	10. Chapter 10

It was one thing to flash on a complete stranger, but another thing entirely to flash on someone she knew. Someone she thought she was growing closer to, despite all the odds stacked in their favor. 

Raymond said her name like it was a curse or a spell or something equally mesmerizing. Oksana Astankova.

Eve tried to fight it, she really did. Villanelle refused to tell her, so wasn't there a reason she kept it secret? She didn't really think she had a chance against the Intersect; fighting just made the drowning sensation even worse, but she did it anyway. At least, she tried to; she lasted five seconds before it pulled her under. 

The first photo of Villanelle--no, Oksana--was faded and blurry around the edges. It had been taken at a school, if the uniform was anything to go by. Oksana's smile was off, forced instead of the genuine one Eve had seen a few times. Her hair was dark, not the honey blonde that Eve was used to. Eve had barely enough time to study the photo before it shifted over to her juvenile records, along with numerous reports from teachers all saying the same thing--Oksana was a problem child, delighting in the misery of others. A psychiatrist's report was next. It breezed by faster than the records, but two words were underlined multiple times: psychopathic tendencies. Eve had barely enough time to process that before she got to Villanelle's criminal record. And oh, Eve wished she could look away, but Villanelle's juvenile crimes were laid out in front of her. 

Next up was a mugshot, then another. Villanelle was a few years older in the second, this time in for something worse than beating her classmates. This time, it was murdering someone. The victim hadn’t been just anyone either--iit was the husband of her language teacher, Ana. After that, the information grew less and less detailed. Was that when Villanelle joined the service? There were pictures, now, not of Villanelle but of the dead she'd left behind. The images seemed to go on forever: stabbing, poison, a broken neck, strangulation. So much blood. 

By the time Eve came out of her flash, tears were streaming down her face. She felt like she couldn't breathe. She stumbled and nearly fell, but Raymond caught her at the last minute. 

Her arm stung from his strong grip but it helped to draw her attention away from her shortness of breath. The pain made her focus, which was both alarming and somehow a complete relief.

"What now?" Eve asked. Her voice sounded hoarse, like she'd been screaming for minutes. Maybe she had been. Psychopathic tendencies. Oh god. What did that even mean? Of course Villanelle was a psychopath. Eve had seen her murders laid out in front of her like she was a judge. How could anyone look at Villanelle and think she belonged out in the open and not behind bars?

Raymond was right. Eve couldn't believe it, but he was right. How could she ask Eve to trust her when she had murdered so many? How could she say she was going to protect Eve when lives were meaningless to her? 

Eve didn't give Raymond a chance to reply, because she realized one very important detail she had overlooked in her panic: she'd left Villanelle alone with Elena and Kenny. "I have to go back," Eve said. "She's upstairs."

Raymond's face went from bored to alert in seconds. "What do you mean she's upstairs?"

"Elena invited her over for dinner."

Raymond let go over her arm. "Are you in danger? Is she threatening you?"

Eve considered this for a moment, but it was completely unnecessary. Villanelle had been nothing but nice all evening. 

"No, I don't think I'm in danger," Eve said. 

"Did she bring any weapons with her?"

Eve faltered. "No, I don't think so?" She rubbed at her arm, hoping to get some feeling back into it. "She brought dessert." The second the words left her lips, chills ran down her spine. "Oh god. The strawberries. Do you think she poisoned them?"

"She might have. We--"

Eve didn't give him a chance to finish. She took off in a sprint toward her apartment. Footsteps sounded heavily behind her, which was the only indication she had that Raymond was following. 

"Eve, stop."

She didn't, not until he grabbed at her clothing and held firm. She squirmed, trying to escape. "Let me go! They're in danger."

"Think this through. You can't go in there accusing her of poisoning your friends. That's only going to escalate the situation. If they're not already dead, they will be after that. Villanelle has a short fuse. You can’t make her mad."

"So what am I supposed to do?"

Raymond thought for a second, then said, "We go in calmly. You say you saw me outside and thought you'd invite me in for dessert and to take home some leftovers. That's what neighbors do, right?"

That was pushing it. Eve would never invite a neighbor in, though perhaps Elena might believe it with a hefty amount of convincing. Villanelle on the other hand, who knew who Raymond was, would never believe that Eve had invited Raymond in to be polite. "Villanelle--"

"She won't say a word, because she would be blowing her cover if she blew mine. She'll have to act nicely. You distract her, and I'll get rid of the dessert."

It wasn't much of a plan, but it was all they had. Eve hesitated, then nodded. Raymond wouldn't be her first pick, but at least he'd been honest with her so far. Konstantin had to know who Villanelle was, and he'd still chosen to work with her. They were a team; perhaps he had murdered just as many people as Villanelle had. Eve shuddered at the thought.

She pushed the door open firmly, and marched into the living room where Elena, Kenny, and Villanelle were sat, all turned toward one another and talking. Good. Talking was good. Talking meant that no murder was occurring. 

All three turned to her. Eve plastered a fake smile on her face. "Look who I found outside!" The words were pitched high and shrill. It was so fake, so unbelievably fake. She dropped the manic smile and opted for a more serious expression, though she wasn't certain that was any better. "Elena, have you met Raymond yet? He's our new neighbor! We were throwing our trash out at the same time, and I just had to invite him in for some dessert." And wow, okay, talking was clearly not her forte, either. She clamped her jaw shut and turned desperately to Raymond, who was looking at her like she'd lost her mind. Understandable. 

"Good evening," he said. Unlike Villanelle, he forewent a fake American accent and instead remained true to his British heritage. "It's nice to meet you."

The change in Villanelle was immediate. Her face grew hard and emotionless, yet her body had wound up so tightly that Eve was surprised she didn’t just spring forward and attack Raymond. Eve inched closer to him. The betrayal on Villanelle’s face sent a twinge of guilt through Eve until she remembered what she’d seen. 

Elena, on the other hand, wore a polite but frazzled smile. "Hi, so nice to meet you." She stood to shake his hand. Kenny followed suit. Villanelle remained firmly in place, eyes locked on Eve.

Eve, not sure what to do, sent her a hopeless shrug. She felt queasy looking at Villanelle. She couldn't see the woman sitting there; she could only see the victims. Dozens of them. No, higher. At least one hundred, if not hundreds. 

There would be repercussions later, but for now Eve could hide behind the cover Villanelle had insisted upon. As long as she remained with Elena and Kenny, she could guarantee their safety--and her own. Raymond might be annoying, but at least he wasn't a psychopath. No wonder Villanelle didn't want her to trust him. Raymond seemed downright normal in comparison to Villanelle. 

With a sinking feeling, Eve realized that maybe Villanelle was the one who had killed Zarnow. Why, she wasn't sure, but she could figure that out later. It didn't make sense for either of her handlers to kill him, but she'd seen Villanelle's track record. She'd killed for a lot less.

By the time Eve tuned back into the conversation, Elena and Raymond had moved on to another topic. Namely, which apartment Raymond now occupied. "The view is lovely," Raymond shared. 

Eve could see the way Elena's smile grew a little less genuine around the edges. "I would imagine so," was all she said before redirecting the group's attention to the table. "Eve, could you help serve dessert while I make Raymond a plate of lasagna?"

Oh, right. Dessert. Eve whipped her head around to look at Raymond. 

He stared right back at her. Oh, right. She was supposed to do something. Distract Villanelle, somehow, so he could get rid of the potentially poisoned food. Her eyes darted from the chocolate covered strawberries back to Villanelle.

Eve crossed the short distance to where Villanelle remained seated. She wouldn't allow herself to think, because if she started to she would talk herself out of it. Better to act now and regret her actions later. She towered over Villanelle, whose eyes widened as she realized what Eve intended to do. 

Act, don't think. Eve's whole body shook as she plopped herself onto Villanelle's lap. "Hey," she breathed, trying to go for a seductive tone of voice, but failing miserably. Villanelle's scent washed over her, but this time it made her feel sick, not intoxicated. Half expecting Villanelle to throw her to the floor, Eve brought an unsteady hand to Villanelle's cheek, attempting to turn her attention away from Raymond. 

Villanelle pushed the hand away before wrapping her arm around Eve's waist to steady her. "What are you doing?" she whispered furiously. Her breath smelled like wine. "Why is he here? Did he threaten you? Are you in danger?"

Eve let out a panicked laugh. "Danger? What? No."

Villanelle narrowed her eyes. "Get up."

"But you said we needed to--"

A loud crash cut Eve off. 

The tray was upside down on the ground, the lid off and strawberries scattered everywhere. The force from the fall caused the chocolate to break off the berries, leaving chunks of chocolate and mashed strawberry everywhere. Eve watched as one lone strawberry rolled its way under the couch. At least they had hardwood floors. Otherwise, the red from the strawberry would be impossible to get out of a carpet. 

Raymond held the lid in his hand. His face morphed into a close approximation of shock and regret by the time Elena rushed out of the kitchen to investigate the loud sound. 

"Oops," he said. "I think the lid was loose."

Villanelle's face went through a myriad of emotions before settling on calm. Which, honestly, was a hundred times more terrifying than outrage.

"Accidents happen," Villanelle said like it was a promise. Goosebumps spread up Eve's arms. Not a promise, a threat. 

"I'm so sorry," Elena said, even though she was hardly at fault.

Villanelle smiled. "No, don't worry. I'm sure they weren't that good. I'll bring over something homemade next time."

And this time, it absolutely sounded like a threat. 

Eve knew that whatever she brought over would be filled with poison. Villanelle had killed plenty of people that way; what were a few more? She shuddered and pulled away from Villanelle as quickly as she dared. What had she been thinking, presenting herself to Villanelle like she was a modern-day sacrifice? 

Villanelle was the most dangerous person in the room, and Eve had climbed onto her lap and tried to touch her cheek. God, how stupid was that? It was like she was asking to be killed.

In her haste to get off of Villanelle, Eve nearly fell. Villanelle caught her, saving her from face planting on the floor. Eve pulled away from her grip before realizing that all eyes were on them. 

Eve swallowed past a lump in her throat and said meekly, "I need to clean up the strawberries."

"Let me help you," Villanelle said as she followed Eve. It was the last thing Eve wanted, but she couldn't say that in front of Elena and Kenny, who had poked his head out of the kitchen. 

Eve pressed a hand to her brow. This was a disaster, a complete and utter disaster. She just wanted to crawl into bed and forget about this whole evening. But she couldn't do that, either, because at the end of the day, Jonas was still dead and now both of her handlers were insisting that she couldn't trust the other.

Elena handed Raymond a plate of food. "I think you should go."

Eve gaped at Elena. "What? But he just got here?"

Raymond took the plate. "I'd like to stay," he said.

Elena shifted uncomfortably. Eve wasn't envious of her position right about now. She crouched and began to pile the strawberries back onto the platter. Poison wouldn't hurt her unless she ingested it, right? She'd wash her hands thoroughly after this, just in case. 

Villanelle started to help her, but Eve blocked her path. "I got it," she insisted.

"What are you doing," Villanelle hissed in her ear. "Why is Raymond really here?"

"Shouldn't you already know?" Eve hissed back. She couldn't believe she'd fallen for it--all of it. Villanelle was charming. As much as Eve hated to admit it, she'd been enjoying herself for most of the evening. Now, though, she just wanted Villanelle to leave. But she wouldn't go unless Raymond also left.

Eve finished picking up the strawberries and used a napkin to wipe up the juices left behind on the floor. When she stood, she faked a wince and sucked in a sharp breath. "My head is killing me," she said. "I think I need to lay down."

Villanelle frowned, not appearing convinced, so Eve hammed it up a bit. "I think I might be sick," she moaned. 

Villanelle let out a sigh and then said, "Can I get you anything?"

Eve started to shake her head, but realized she wouldn't do that if she really had a headache. "No," she said, wincing again. "I think I just need to go to bed. I'm sorry." She turned to Raymond. "I think you and Villanelle should go. I'm sorry I'm ruining the evening, but I just don't feel up for company right now."

Raymond's brow furrowed, but eventually, he shrugged and nodded his agreement. Apparently, as long as Villanelle left, he didn't have an issue leaving, either. If anything, he could monitor her from his apartment, and for once, Eve felt better about having him closeby. "Feel better," he said after a long moment of silence. "Villanelle, why don't I escort you to the door?" He reached forward to place a hand on her arm, but she jerked back. 

This time, there was no hiding Villanelle's glower. "I'm not going anywhere until I know Eve is okay."

"I'm fine," Eve insisted. "Really, I'm okay. I just need sleep."

Villanelle stubbornly stood her ground. 

"Go," Eve said. 

Villanelle obeyed, but only after sending Eve another look that quickly morphed from faked concern to genuine outrage. Eve would pay dearly for this later, but for now, she was safe. Elena and Kenny were safe, and that's all that mattered.

\---

The waiting was the worst part. She knew Villanelle was planning something--how could she not, after the disastrous end to the evening? Despite the early morning, followed by an incredibly long day, Eve remained awake for hours. Every time she shut her eyes, she saw one of Villanelle's victims. When she was certain Elena was asleep, Eve rushed around their small apartment, verifying every window was firmly shut and locked. The front door was already locked, but Eve pushed a chair under the doorknob, maneuvering it so the backrest pressed firmly under the handle. Nobody would be able to get in now, even if they could pick a lock.

Afterward, Eve downed the wine leftover from dinner as she googled what it meant to be a psychopath. Head spinning, she finally laid down and fell asleep. She couldn't remember her dreams in the morning, but she woke up frazzled and frightened all the same. 

Work was a blur. Eve spent her shift hiding in the back, snapping out excuses about doing inventory whenever her coworkers got too close. Raymond, surprisingly, had the day off from work. Eve, who would normally be relieved about not dealing with him for a full eight hours, wasn't sure how she felt about it now that she really needed his protection.

It was quiet, too quiet. So much so that Eve finished her shift without a single message from Raymond or Villanelle. 

However, that all changed when Eve stepped out of the Buy More. A black suburban pulled in front of her almost immediately. Eve froze. The window rolled down, revealing Konstantin. Eve let out a relieved sigh. Of course it was Konstantin; who else could it have been? Villanelle had her own rental car.

"Get in," Konstantin said, skipping the pleasantries entirely.

Eve shifted the purse on her shoulder, hesitating. "Is something wrong?"

Konstantin remained quiet for a second too long. "Nothing is wrong. I need you to get in the car." He glanced in the rearview mirror. Already, cars were pulling up behind him, waiting as he blocked half of the road. 

Begrudgingly, Eve got in. The inside of the suburban was cold from the air conditioner set to full blast, and smelled faintly of both leather cleaner and Konstantin's cologne. Eve set her purse on the floor in front of her before buckling up. "My car is here," she pointed out. "Are you going to drop me back off?"

Konstantin nodded, but it looked like his thoughts were elsewhere. He pulled away from the store and onto the main road. It was the middle of rush hour, so traffic was heavy. 

"Where are we going?" Eve asked. "Why couldn't I drive myself?"

Konstantin sighed. "Look in the back. I brought you a change of clothes."

Eve frowned, but did as she was told. There was a dry cleaning bag in the back, just behind Konstantin's seat. Eve, assuming it was for her, grabbed it and brought it to the passenger's side of the car. In the bag lay a freshly pressed white shirt and a pair of dark slacks. 

"There are shoes, too, and a bowtie."

"For what?"

"You're going to pose as a waiter at Victor Petrov's party."

Eve let the bag fall to the floor. "I'm doing what?"

Konstantin tapped his fingers on the steering wheel as they were forced to stop at a red light. "He's throwing a party tonight at his home. We believe the easiest way to get to him is to pose as part of the catering staff. His home security is too strong to go without cover; it still will be very much present this evening, but with a large crowd in the house, it will be much harder to monitor everyone."

"Why me?" Eve inquired, rather abruptly.

"We need you to identify him. You're the only one with a clear picture of his face."

"You keep saying we," Eve noted. "Are you going to be there with me?"

Konstantin hesitated, then shook his head. "No. Villanelle will be there as well."

"No. I don't want to see her. I won’t work with her."

Konstantin turned to look at her. "Whatever Raymond told you is a lie. He was trying to scare you, and it clearly worked."

"It wasn't a lie," Eve snapped. "It was..." She played with her seatbelt as she struggled to find the right words. Nothing seemed close, though, so she settled with Villanelle's real name. "Oksana Astankova."

Konstantin's face went carefully blank. "How do you know that name?"

"It's in the Intersect. I know who she really is. She can hide behind the name Villanelle all she wants, but it doesn't change the fact that she's a psychopath. I know what she's done. It's all in there--all her murders. How can you work with her?"

"She's more than her kills, Eve. They weren't good people."

"And that makes it okay?" Eve moved so quickly that her seatbelt locked into place. She tugged at it, frantic. "You're making excuses for her! She belongs in jail!"

"No matter what you believe, it won't change anything. She's a valuable asset to the CIA."

Eve collapsed back against her seat. "I don't want to work with her anymore. I don't trust her with my life, and I don't trust her with my friends, either."

"Okay."

Eve's head snapped to Konstantin. "Okay?"

"I told you I would try to meet your demands. If this is one, then fine. I'll find you another handler. I already have one in mind. Nadia, she's a nice girl. You'd like her."

That was almost too easy, which meant there was a catch. "I'm sensing there's a but coming."

Konstantin smiled, but there was no warmth in it. "Yes."

"Okay...but..." Eve waved him on impatiently. "Just tell me."

"I need you to work with her tonight. We already have her cover in place."

Eve sighed. She should have known she couldn't win this particular battle. But it was only one more night, and then she'd never had to see Villanelle again. That was a good tradeoff, right? This Nadia woman had to be loads better than Villanelle. If Eve could handle Raymond, she could handle anyone as long as they weren't diagnosed a psychopath.

"Fine," Eve said. "On one condition."

Konstantin laughed. "You're awfully demanding tonight."

"She can't kill Victor. I can't watch her kill another person."

Konstantin let out a puff of air. "We weren't going to kill him. The CIA wants him for questioning."

Eve raised an eyebrow and decided to take a gamble on her next question. "Didn’t you want the same thing for Nakkia?"

"Well, yes, we would have preferred that he remain alive, but this time Villanelle has explicit orders to arrest him. I know you don't like her, but she's a damn good agent."

Eve looked out the window, unwilling to meet his gaze as she whispered, "I know."

Konstantin, determined to defend her until the very end, apparently, continued despite Eve acknowledging that Villanelle wasn't completely terrible. "She'll do everything in her power to keep you alive first, and from the sounds of it, Nakkia wasn't going to let you both go unharmed. She had to kill him."

"She couldn't have, I don't know, knocked him out or something? Murder seems a little extreme, even for you all."

Konstantin sent her an unimpressed look. "You're trying to defend a man that rigged a bomb to kill thousands."

"I'm just saying she didn't have to kill him. I don't want the same thing to happen tonight."

"It won't. We're going into this prepared."

Eve sighed and picked up the dry cleaning bag again. "Okay, so what's the plan?"

  
  



	11. Chapter 11

Eve tugged at the bow tie. It was tight and uncomfortable, just like the rest of her outfit. It was too warm outside for an undershirt, long sleeve button-up, and black vest, but Konstantin had insisted that she look the part. What he hadn’t mentioned, however, was that Eve had to get dressed for the party in a gas station bathroom. The spy life was almost too glamourous sometimes.

The neighborhood they drove to was situated alongside and on top of a large hill that overlooked the valley below. The streets were wide and nearly deserted in the early evening. The homes, what little Eve could see of them, were closer to mansions than houses, with sprawling driveways and more than a few gates. All the homes were older, with large trees and well-trimmed foliage that gave each house a modicum of privacy and protected them from onlookers like Eve, who gaped as the houses grew larger and larger and larger the farther into the neighborhood they got. 

At the top of the hill lay the true mansions, which is where Konstantin paused and pointed at the street to their left. “Victor’s house is that way, but I’m going to drive to the next street up and drop you off there.”

Eve didn’t take her eyes off the homes. These were easily the largest homes she’d ever seen, and this far up. No wonder it was difficult to reach Victor; with homes like these, security wasn’t an afterthought, but something planned for carefully and intentionally. 

As promised, Konstantin dropped her off on the next street, which was deserted save for their car and a large van. Konstantin nodded toward the other vehicle. “Raymond will be monitoring you from here.” He handed her an earpiece. “Put this on.”

Eve slipped it into her right ear. It crackled with static before Raymond’s voice came through on the other end. He was talking to someone else, so the words were faint. Something about dinner, maybe. 

“Can he hear me?” Eve asked in a whisper. 

Konstantin stared at her for a moment, brow raised, then let out a loud laugh. “No.” He rummaged around the center console before pulling out a small black box. He opened it and handed it to her. Inside, resting on red velvet, lay a rather unremarkable looking wristwatch. The clock hands appeared to be malfunctioning, with the time still reading 12:15 even though it was long past rush hour. Eve cast a doubtful look at the watch, then at Konstantin. 

“It has a speaker. If you need to talk to Raymond or Villanelle, use that, but be discreet. It has a good range; you don’t need to hold it up to your mouth. As long as it’s close to your face, it will pick up your voice.”

Eve slipped it on, feeling a bit giddy at the thought of having a true spy gadget, regardless of who was on the other end of the line. 

“Can I test it?” Eve asked. At Konstantin’s nod, she brought it to her lips. “Testing. This is Eve.” For good measure, she added, a bit louder, “Do you copy?”

A grunt sounded on the other end of the line, followed by a crash. “Shit!” More rustling, then Raymond’s voice came across crisp, albeit quiet. “You don’t need to shout.” 

Eve winced, then brought the watch back up to her mouth. Konstantin gave an unimpressed roll of his eyes at the action. “Oh,” she said, this time very quietly. “Sorry. Is this good?”

“Just speak normally,” Konstantin said before Raymond could answer. “And don’t be suspicious.”

Eve nodded. If she needed to talk, she could pretend to fix her hair. That wasn’t suspicious. At least, she hoped it wasn’t. 

“Ah. Good timing.” Konstantin pointed behind Eve, where someone was waiting in the shadows. 

No, not someone. Villanelle. 

Eve hadn’t recognized her at first because she was already in disguise. With short, dark hair that stopped at her chin, large glasses, and a standard-issue catering outfit, Villanelle looked like an entirely different person. It was her posture that gave her away--hands shoved in both pockets, head tilted to the side, observing Eve with that cocky confidence Eve both admired and loathed. 

Unlike Eve, her outfit fit perfectly. The sleeves on Eve’s white shirt were too long, dipping nearly to the tips of her fingers if she didn’t keep the sleeves slightly rolled back. Konstantin said he had to guess her size, which explained the poor fitting outfit. Villanelle probably hand-picked her own.

“This is where I leave you, Eve. Good luck tonight.”

Eve spun to face Konstantin. “You’re not coming in?” She eyed his outfit, then corrected herself. “You’re not staying with Raymond?” 

Konstantin shook his head. “No, I have some other business to attend to. Now go. You don’t want to keep Villanelle waiting.”

Begrudgingly, Eve got out of the car and approached Villanelle, who pulled her hands out of her pockets and folded her arms across her chest instead. “You’re late,” Villanelle said in her normal accent. “I’ve been waiting here for ten minutes. Do you know how warm these outfits are? I’m probably going to die from heat exhaustion.”

Eve faltered. Of all the things Villanelle could have opened with, she wasn’t expecting that. “Sorry?” She thought back to the several minutes she’d struggled to tie her bow tie. That probably hadn’t helped them get here on time; eventually, she’d had to ask Konstantin for help. 

“You don’t sound sorry at all,” Villanelle pointed out. Despite being made to wait for Eve, she seemed to be in high spirits, like all this undercover work energized her. “Come on. We need to sneak back in before they notice I’m not handing out hors d’oeuvres.” 

Villanelle led her in the narrow gap between fences, where overgrown foliage pulled at Eve’s hair and caught against her shirt. It was dark on their makeshift path, made darker still by the bright light shining up ahead, blinding Eve to what was right in front of her. Her boot caught on a root, and she stumbled a few steps. She caught herself before falling into Villanelle, who seemed to move through the darkness like she was a ghost.

Villanelle paused and held a hand up. Eve peered around her, trying to see why they had stopped. A large backyard lay just ahead of them, complete with a pool, outdoor bar and kitchen, tennis court, and fish pond. The rest of the yard was landscaped to perfection, with emerald green grass, perfectly trimmed bushes, and ornamental trees. Tea lights were strung around the largest trees, giving the whole backyard an ethereal look. Despite the warmth of the evening, a crowd of partygoers had already gathered by the outdoor bar.

A large wall stood between them and the backyard. Too late, Eve realized the only way to get into the backward was to climb over the wall, which came up to Eve’s shoulders.

Eve looked to Villanelle, then back to the wall. “I can’t climb that,” Eve said. 

Villanelle shrugged. “I’ll boost you over.”

“Couldn’t we go through the front door?”

Villanelle sighed and gave Eve a pointed look. “You’re asking dumb questions again.”

Eve’s fingers automatically curled into fists. She should be terrified of the woman standing in front of her. She would be, maybe, if Villanelle wasn’t so infuriating. “It’s a valid question,” Eve said. “What happened to this place being like the fortress of solitude?” At Villanelle’s blank stare, Eve flushed first and then clarified, hating herself for throwing in a nerdy reference that Kenny or Bear would have gotten immediately. “Super high security. Impossible to get in. How are we just going to go over a wall, and why couldn’t we have done this on a day where we didn’t have to dress in these terrible uniforms?” For emphasis, she tugged at her bow. It was suffocating. 

“I think you look good,” Villanelle said as her eyes trailed up Eve’s figure. 

Eve gaped at her, suddenly speechless. Heat flooded her cheeks for an entirely different reason, now. 

A slow smile spread across Villanelle’s lips as she took in Eve’s flustered appearance. Villanelle closed the distance between them, close enough now that Eve could feel Villanelle’s warm breaths against her face. “Yeah, that boxy outfit is really doing it for me.”

Eve shoved her hard enough to make Villanelle take a few unsteady steps back. “Can you be serious for once?”

Villanelle crossed her arms. “Fine.” In the time it took Eve to blink, Villanelle’s mood completely shifted from one extreme to the other. Gone were the crinkled laugh lines around her eyes. Now her expression was eerily similar to her mugshot. “There was a camera pointing in this direction, but I disabled it. See it right there?” Villanelle pointed at the closest ornamental tree, where a camera was dangling, smashed nearly beyond recognition. At Eve’s horrified look, Villanelle plastered on an innocent expression and said, “It was an accident. Let’s just say two boys are twenty dollars richer and no longer have to come to these parties. It’s a win for everyone, no?”

“You bribed children to destroy a camera.”

“You’re missing the point, Eve. We have a way in, so let’s take it.” Villanelle pulled Eve to the wall. “Come on, I’ll help you.”

Eve pulled her arm out of Villanelle’s grasp. “I don’t need your help.”

Villanelle rolled her eyes. “Sure.”

She waved Eve forward. "After you, then."

Eve rolled her shoulders back, then shook out her legs. She suddenly felt stiff and out of shape; she couldn't even remember the last time she'd gone to a gym. Back when she had a well-paying job and a husband, she used to run for exercise. She wasn't even sure her running shoes survived the move to California. 

Her heart pounded as she approached the wall. Up close, it seemed more intimidating. Eve placed a hand on top of it, then the other. She'd have to do this all at once, or never be able to look Villanelle in the eye again. She started to pull up, but then caught sight of the partygoers once more. She turned to Villanelle. "Aren't they going to see us?" Eve asked and pointed at the crowd.

"No."

Eve narrowed her eyes. Villanelle sounded awfully confident about that. "Tell me you didn't bribe any other children."

Villanelle remained suspiciously quiet. Was this part of spying as well? Eve hadn't exactly pictured her new life to include bribing children and changing in gas stations all in the name of a mission, but here they were. 

"Are you going to climb over the wall or not?"

Eve shifted her weight. "I'm working on it."

"Is that what you're doing? From this angle, it looks like you're just standing there waiting for the wall to move. You know you have to use your arms, right? You can't just place them there and get enough momentum to push yourself over."

Eve glared at her. "I didn't realize you were so good at breaking and entering into homes."

Villanelle glared right back. "It's not breaking and entering, it's physics."

"Fine. If you're so good at this, show me what to do."

That seemed to get Villanelle's attention; she perked up right away. "Okay, sure. Put your foot here." She bent to point out a spot where the wall had a crevice big enough for Eve to fit the front of her shoe into. 

"What now?" Eve asked. 

Villanelle pointed to another spot that was lower down than the first one. "Lift your foot up."

As Eve lifted her foot, she felt Villanelle latch onto it and heave upward. Eve let out a startled grunt as her stomach pressed against the top of the wall.

"What was that for?" she managed to gasp out. "I had it under control!"

"I didn't want to wait all night," Villanelle said as she pulled herself over the wall like it was as easy as getting into bed. Eve slowly swung her left leg over, hanging on for dear life with her arms. Villanelle watched her struggle for a moment before turning away. "Make sure you get all the dirt off your vest."

Eve wiped at the fabric, wincing as her hand came back gritty. A few swipes later, it was as good as new--as long as nobody looked too closely. In a daze, Eve followed Villanelle around the perimeter. She must have stared at the crowd one too many times, because all too soon Villanelle was hissing, "Stop looking over there. You're going to draw attention to us."

Eve sighed. Hopefully, this would be a quick mission, because the night had already begun to feel like it would never end.

All too soon, they were slipping into the house and heading toward the kitchen, where several trays had been set out for the catering staff. Villanelle took one, indicating that Eve should do the same.

Organized chaos swirled around them, a mix of food preparation and waiters coming in with empty trays and leaving with full ones. Just across from the trays laden with hors d’oeuvres, a frazzled man poured champagne into thin stemmed champagne flutes. The kitchen was hot and smelled of a half dozen different foods. Eve breathed a little easier when they escaped from the kitchen and entered into what looked like a formal dining room. The long table could easily seat twelve, though at the moment it was fully cleared, the elegant wood gleaming from the chandelier above. 

"This way," Villanelle said, pulling Eve away from studying the dining room. The tray was balanced perfectly on one hand, whereas Eve carried hers out in front of her with both hands. While the dining room had been quiet, the next room was full of life. 

The dining room emptied into a grand foyer, where several guests stood chatting with one another. Not even three steps into the room and a guest already made a beeline for Eve's tray. Eve held it up, then glanced to Villanelle to see if she was doing this right.

Villanelle nodded once and then turned away, plastering on a fake smile as she offered hors d’oeuvres to the nearest person. Eve tried to keep her in sight, but the mansion was large and full of people. All too soon, Villanelle turned a corner. Eve wanted to follow, but she was stuck waiting for a woman to decide which of the identical pieces of food she wanted before eventually deciding she didn't want any seafood and passed on the smoked salmon bites Eve carried on her tray. Eve gritted her teeth and forced a smile before trying to close the distance between herself and Villanelle. 

Konstantin had talked about the plan in the car, but she wasn't certain that Villanelle losing her was part of it. Eve passed through several other rooms before Villanelle found her again, this time with an empty tray. 

"Any luck?" Villanelle asked, looking about as tired as Eve felt.

"Nothing yet," Eve said.

"Try harder," Villanelle said. "You have a tray, use it as a prop. Here." She took Eve's half full tray and gave Eve her empty one. "Use this and wander until you see Victor. If anyone asks, just say you're going to the kitchen." 

"What are you going to do?" Eve asked, not proud of the way her voice became shrill at the end. Villanelle was a monster, but at least in this situation she was a familiar monster, one that Eve could deal with. Victor, on the other hand, was unpredictable. Nakkia had somehow recognized her; would Victor be able to do the same? With Nakkia dead and Jacob arrested, Victor had to be on high alert for anything out of the ordinary at his party. 

"I'm going to be right behind you," Villanelle said. "Don't worry, Eve. Everything is going to be fine. Just focus on what you're here for."

Eve sucked in a breath and then nodded. Sure, she could do that. It was simple. All she had to do was explore the house and pay attention to everyone she passed. With an empty tray, nobody would bother her, right?

Wrong. An empty tray was just a fancier garbage can. People stopped her just as frequently, if not more often. This time, instead of complaining about how dry the salmon looked, they simply tossed their used napkins and empty champagne flutes. 

Eve stared straight ahead, trying very hard not to send a glare Villanelle's way. She was certain Villanelle set her up; this wasn't Villanelle's first party as a waiter, so she had to have known what an empty tray would mean.

Eventually, Eve's tray was too full to fit any other garbage or dirty dishes on, not without risking half of it falling off, so she headed back the way they had come. Villanelle, true to her word, hovered behind her, doing a much better job of convincing people to either choose salmon or move on to the next tray of food.

All too soon, they were exchanging their trays for new ones, though this time Eve received a tray full of champagne instead of food. It was heavy, with the liquid sloshing dangerously if Eve took too big of a step. At least champagne was easy to get rid of; nearly everyone she passed took a glass. 

By the third trip to the kitchen, Eve's feet hurt. This felt more like a job than a mission. 

She had to keep reminding herself why they were there. Just a few more minutes, and then she would spot Victor. He was here somewhere, he had to be. Every time Eve spotted an older man, she immediately perked up, hoping this would be the time she would recognize the man from her flash. But each time, she felt a surge of disappointment as the man turned out to be just another older businessman.

Unlike most people in their sixties, Victor had kept himself fit. It was probably easier to do so when he could afford a private chef and had a pool and gym in his mansion. He was a tall man, with close-cropped white hair and a long nose that sloped downward to a pair of sharp, thin lips. So far, the rest of the older men at the party were the exact opposites--either too young or too out of shape. 

Finally, after what felt like hours, Eve spotted a flash of white hair down a corridor she hadn't been down through yet. Her second champagne tray was nearly empty, so she quickly handed off the last two glasses and tucked the tray underneath her arm, making sure that nobody would think she meant to pick up their trash.

Villanelle was a room away, dealing with an older woman who was being incredibly wishy-washy over Villanelle's tray of stuffed mushrooms. Eve had snuck one as they left the kitchen; it had easily been the best food she'd had all evening. As in, the only food. She was starving, and all these little portions were doing nothing to help her feel full.

Eve, taking a chance on the only lead they had all night, followed the man.

Villanelle would be along any minute, so she didn't feel like she was putting herself in danger. And based on the night she was having so far, with her luck, this man would turn out to be another caterer or someone else who definitely wasn't Victor.

Eve took off down the hall, only remembering at the last minute to bring her watch up to her mouth--no, to her hair, not her mouth--and whisper breathlessly, "I think I found him." On second thought, she wasn't sure talking with her hand up to her hair was any less suspicious. It didn't matter, though; the hallway was deserted. The hallway ended with a staircase leading into the basement. She hadn't seen Victor enter a room, so he could have only gone down below. Eve, high on the thrill of the hunt, followed him down. Villanelle would be here any second; she'd seen Eve leave the room, so there was no point waiting, not when they were this close. 

Eve hadn't expected Victor to be waiting for her, a frown already formed on his thin face. The basement led directly into a wine cellar. It was quiet in the room, which was otherwise completely deserted. It was cool and smelled slightly like wine and the faint musty smell all basements seemed to acquire after several years. 

"What are you doing?" Victor asked in a deep voice. 

Eve breathed in once, twice, waiting for Villanelle to appear. She didn't. Eve faltered. "I was lost," she said. She made a show of looking around, then chuckled nervously. "This isn't the restroom." She fiddled with the tray. 

"It's not," Victor agreed. "This area is off-limits to staff."

Eve's eyes widened. "Is it? I had no idea."

That was the wrong thing to say, apparently, because Victor took a large step back. "You should know which areas are off-limits. I was very clear to Nancy. Who are you?"

**Author's Note:**

> @sea_fics on Twitter! Come say hi :)


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